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League of Women Voters asks Marple Newtown to permit voter-registration outreach at graduation; board cites logistics and policy
Summary
Robera Winters, president of the Delaware County League of Women Voters, asked the district to allow voter-registration materials at graduation rehearsals to capture students who turn 18 after spring registration; board members praised the effort but raised logistics and policy concerns and suggested alternatives.
Robera Winters, president of the Delaware County League of Women Voters, asked the Marple Newtown School District board on June 9 to allow the league to distribute Department of State voter-registration materials — including a QR code linking to online registration — at graduation-related events to reach students who turn 18 between spring registration and the November election.
"We could do something at graduation rehearsal because it was mandated for everyone to be there. We would get every student and we would catch all those summer students whose birthday would make them now eligible to vote in the fall election," Winters said.
Winters said the county league has worked with 15 public-school districts in Delaware County and has already engaged more than 5,600 students. She offered to remove any materials the district found objectionable and proposed a single-card option containing only the Department of State QR code so students could register immediately on their phones.
Board members and staff thanked Winters for the outreach but expressed concerns about graduation logistics and district policy. One board member said, "I don't think graduation is the appropriate place for it," noting that rehearsals are tightly scheduled and distribution at that time can be difficult. Staff and trustees suggested alternatives such as placing materials in the guidance office, continuing lunchtime voter drives, and using student-led registration efforts earlier in the year. The district said it already pursues an annual outreach goal and had requested a list of students who will turn 18 before November to target registration efforts.
John Crosby, a retired superintendent who accompanied Winters, urged the board to consider the outreach opportunity and described instances where capturing students at graduation rehearsals helped reach those with summer birthdays. The board took no formal action on the request at the June 9 meeting; staff will consider logistics and policy options and may present a proposal to the board later.
