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Sponsor proposes making election days school holidays to separate students and voters
Summary
Representative Jamie Gregg presented HB 17-87 proposing that schools treat in-session election days as holidays beginning in the 2026–27 school year (flexible), arguing it protects students; members raised concerns about childcare, calendar-hour accounting and local control.
Representative Jamie Gregg told the committee House Bill 17-87 would allow school districts to treat in-session election days as holidays so students would not be in school while polling occurs. Gregg described the proposal as primarily a safety measure and said schools in his area and elsewhere had expressed support.
Committee members raised trade-offs. Representative Vance Gowing and others warned that the change could increase childcare burdens for families and suggested the broader policy of making election day a state holiday might address that concern. Representative Bannerman cautioned about technical school-calendar consequences tied to required days and hours; he suggested drafting options (such as classifying the day as an exceptional circumstance) to avoid forcing districts to add instructional days. Witness Arne C. ACDinos testified in favor but recommended changing the bill language from "requires" to "optional" and moving the effective year later to allow school districts to plan their calendars.
The committee closed the hearing after proponents testified; no recorded opposition was presented during the meeting.
