Letter to the Editor: Voting in Schools

To the Editor:

I have talked to numerous parents with children in the Woburn Public School System and members of the Woburn Community regarding voting. From what I have heard is that voters want to remain voting in their neighborhoods. I agree that since the Sandy Hook tragedy we need to make sure that the children that attend our schools are safe. However, every time that I have gone into the Reeves Elementary School during an election, there has always been someone from the school standing just inside the front door to make sure that voters go towards the gymnasium. It is very safe to say that Woburn has never had a public safety issue at any school during an election, because we are a proactive community. Woburn is really serious about security!

Moving Municipal Elections to Saturdays would cause issues for parents with children involved with sports or other activities. Those parents would have to run around even more just to make sure that they commit to their civic duty and vote. Also people are very busy on their days off since they work all week. I would safely assume that there would be a lower voter turnout on a Saturday than a Tuesday.

Another issue to think about is that the City of Woburn would incur other various expenses that would add up substantially if elections were to occur on Saturdays. We need to keep taxes down and Woburn an affordable city to live in. Our Alderman should be watching how our tax dollars are being spent, and not frivolously wasting our tax dollars when that money could be used for something else.

A possible solution would be to have the President of the Woburn Teachers Union sit down with Woburn Teachers and ask them if they would be willing to change and have their professional days during elections. This would allow the children to stay home from school during elections allowing the schools to remain vacant and the children safe. I believe that this would be the best and most cost effective solution to the issue of safety of our children during elections.

A Concerned Citizen,

Charles Viola

Morningside Circle