OAK PARK : Municipal, School Elections Rescheduled

In an effort to cut costs and attract more voters, Oak Park leaders have decided to schedule their municipal and school board elections to coincide with statewide general elections.

Though simultaneously deciding on the issue at separate meetings Tuesday, the Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council and the Oak Park Unified School District were each counting on the other to make the same move. Typically, the boards share election costs on odd-numbered years for such things as printing ballots and staffing polling stations.

An extremely low turnout and high price tag for elections this month, when the school district was forced to hold its election alone, prompted the decisions. The advisory council did not hold an election this year because only two candidates applied for two open seats.

Although all the receipts have not yet been counted, the cost of the school board election is estimated at about $4,000, according to Bruce Bradley, the county’s assistant registrar of voters.

In addition, voter turnout--about 13%--hit an all-time low.

When both groups scheduled their elections in 1993--a year in which several special statewide measures were on the ballot--the Oak Park Advisory Council spent $729 on the election while the school district spent $1,511. About 38% of the community’s registered voters made it to the polls.

“Obviously, it is going to be nice to [save money], but the key issue is getting as many people to vote as possible,” said Jim Kalember, a school board member.

“Voter turnout in the last election was deplorable. The idea is that if we put the election in even-numbered years, we will have some intense turnout just based on draw of presidential and congressional elections.”

Both entities plan to share the cost, estimated at about $2,000, of notifying Oak Park’s approximately 6,500 registered voters of the change by mail. In addition, terms for board and council members that expire in 1997 will be extended for one year to 1998.