Many unable to cast ballots

Hundreds of Blair students were unable to vote in the student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education (SMOB) election on Apr 23 and 24 because their English teachers did not send them to vote.

According to Karen Crawford, MCPS Coordinator for student affairs, 67 percent of Blair students voted in the countywide election. Of these students, two-thirds cast their ballots for Springbrook High School Junior Mihyar Alnifaidy, who won the election.

According to an informal Silver Chips poll taken during the week of Apr 29, of 100 students who did not vote for SMOB, 59 percent asserted that they did not have the opportunity to vote and 41 percent said that although their teachers took them to the polling station, they abstained from casting a ballot.

A schedule sent to English teachers specified the times at which they were supposed to take their classes to the small gym to vote, said social studies teacher and SGA sponsor Jeffrey Newby.

However, some teachers disregarded the schedule, depriving many students of their vote.

Junior Makda Semere said her English teacher did not take her class to vote because the class had not finished its agenda. "He said that there's not enough time to go to vote," said Semere. "He said we had to finish our work."

Semere also believes that students who were not allowed to vote may feel more apathetic in the future. "People who didn't get a chance to vote in this election are not going to be that enthusiastic about voting in other ones," said Semere. "They are going to say, ‘My voice won't be heard.'"

Freshman Nahome Mazengia said that he was upset that he was not permitted to cast a ballot. "I would have really liked to vote, but none of my teachers took us down. Every student should be allowed to vote for [his or her] representative," said Mazengia.

According to Crawford, English teachers who refused to take their classes to vote denied their students something to which they are entitled. "In essence, the teachers violated the rights of the students, and this issue should be addressed," said Crawford.

English Resource Teacher Vickie Adamson agreed with Crawford that all students should have been taken to vote. "There is no excuse for any student not being allowed to vote," said Adamson. "The election is the first priority."

Some students were also unable to vote because of events that conflicted with their voting time. On Apr 23, when odd-period English classes voted, hundreds of juniors were away from school at a college fair or at an assembly featuring three Olympians.

According to Newby, students who were away from school when their English classes voted could have voted during fifth period or after school.

However, some students who were out of class, like junior Philip Vogel, did not know that alternate times were available for students to vote. Vogel said that when he asked an SGA member for clarification, he was told that he could not vote.