Galloway School District Won't Change Hours for Referendum

The Galloway Township School District will hold its Dec. 13 referendum during the same hours it has for several years, the Board of Education decided at its meeting Monday night, Oct. 17 at the

The voters of Galloway Township will have between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. to vote on a concerning replacement of roofs and fire alarms, and renovations of a drainage system and a parking lot at the district’s four elementary schools.

On that same day, voters throughout the Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District will go to the to vote on possible renovations and/or repairs to the district’s three high schools. Polls will be open for that referendum between 2 and 9 p.m.

On Monday, representatives from the Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District contacted members of the Galloway School District about adjusting its hours to match the high school’s voting hours, Galloway School Board President Ernest Huggard said. That would mean a loss of six hours of voting for Galloway.

According to a Patch reporter who attended Monday night’s Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District meeting, the Board of Education did not discuss the issue.

In Galloway, the discussion was brief, and all members were in agreement: There would be no change.

“The reason we changed it all those years ago was to give all people the chance to vote,” board member Richard Dase said. “We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to vote, and not deny anyone because they work weird hours. We should give everyone the chance to participate. It’s their children and their money.”

The board didn’t need to vote on the measure because no action was being taken to alter the process.

According to Giaquinto, it will cost more to keep polls open longer, but she feels it’s necessary to give everyone a fair vote. She also said that during the hours in which both referendums are up for vote, Galloway and Greater Egg will split the cost.

“We have different constituents who work multiple shifts,” Giaquinto said. “It’s the nature of the community that requires the polls to be open longer hours.

“It is right not to change the hours. We need to remain transparent and stay the same.”