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Wayzata board weighs moving school elections to even years; clerk cites cost and operational concerns
Summary
At a May 27 work session the district election clerk reviewed costs, turnout and procedural issues tied to odd-year elections and the board discussed options including a potential June vote to move elections to even years with either three- or five-year transitional terms.
Amy Geiss, the district’s election clerk, told the Wayzata Public Schools Board of Education on May 27 that running school-board elections in odd years costs the district substantially more than holding contests in even years, and she outlined the process and calendar if the board wants to move to even-year elections.
Geiss said the district “spent just shy of $82,000 on the 2023 election,” and that projections put the cost above $100,000 if the district runs a standalone election in 2025. She contrasted that with neighboring districts that run elections in even years and pay, on average, about $5,700 to place school races on a combined ballot. Geiss also cautioned the board about administrative burdens, legal risk from procedural errors and turnout-counting limits in machines: she noted that “votes cast” reflects ballots run through machines but does not capture undervotes or spoiled ballots.
Board members discussed tradeoffs between cost and principles. Several trustees urged keeping odd-year elections to preserve the long-standing nonpartisan local focus for school races and to keep district issues prominent on a ballot with fewer competing partisan contests. Others emphasized cost savings and operational ease if elections move to even years and run by counties or cities. The board did not take a formal vote at the work session.
What was presented
- Costs: Geiss reported the district’s 2023 cost was just under $82,000 and said 2025 would likely exceed $100,000 if the district ran its own odd-year election. She estimated neighboring districts’ even-year costs average roughly $5,700.
- Turnout and timing: Geiss reviewed historical turnout numbers for the district, noted higher participation when levies or referenda appeared on the ballot (2017, 2021, 2023), and stressed limitations in machine-reported “votes cast.”
- Legal and calendar constraints: Geiss reviewed procedural risks and reminded the board that July 1 is the practical cutoff to notify the secretary of state for a change affecting the November ballot that year. She explained that if the board approves a switch it will have to choose a transitional term arrangement (one-year add-on to existing terms or a mix that creates three- or five-year terms for certain seats) and that the board would need to adopt a resolution to place the question before voters.
Board discussion and next steps
Board members focused on two central considerations: (1) preserving nonpartisanship and the ability to spotlight school issues in a lower-noise election year; and (2) reducing cost and staff burden by consolidating with even-year city/county elections. Several board members said the community’s nonpartisan tradition is an important value; others pressed that the financial and administrative savings are nontrivial and that some districts have already moved to even-year ballots.
No formal vote; possible future action
Board members discussed bringing a formal question to the board at the June 9 regular meeting for possible placement before voters. Geiss confirmed that July 1 is the deadline for the secretary of state to accept changes that would affect the November ballot; the board did not adopt any resolution at the work session.
Ending
The district will keep the calendar in view. Staff supplied the factual materials and the board will decide at a future meeting whether to place a question before voters. No election-year change was adopted at the May 27 work session.
