Boise trustee election hits another snag

It won’t have any bearing on the outcome, but Boise School District officials have uncovered one more glitch in Tuesday’s error-filled election.

At Boise’s Koelsch Elementary School, up to 178 ballots were marked with numbers corresponding with numbers on voter signature forms, the Idaho Statesman reported Friday. That means someone could look at the signature forms and the paper ballots, and figure out who a voter supported.

Neither the forms nor the marked ballots will be made public, district spokesman Dan Hollar told the Statesman. But the ballots still will be calculated into Tuesday’s vote totals.

Tuesday’s results were lopsided. Incumbents Nancy Gregory and Doug Park easily one six-year terms, heading a five-person field. In a head-to-head race to complete two years on the board, former legislator Brian Cronin won with an 82 percent voter landslide.

The election was short on suspense, but long on problems.

Challengers complained that the ballots identified Gregory and Park as incumbents. One challenger, John Hruby, complained that the Boise Education Association was afforded space during student registration, where the union publicized its support for Gregory, Park and Cronin.

The district added polling places, at the behest of challengers. But even then, trustees came under fire for making the decision without a formal vote.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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