Hamilton County Schools to transport students to the polls for early voting

Hamilton County Schools will move forward with a plan to provide transportation to early voting sites for students who are eligible to vote, despite some debate about the initiative among Republican and Democrat board members at Thursday’s school board meeting.

According to Superintendent Dr. Justin Robertson, the East Tennessee school district previously embarked on a similar initiative that was criticized for its support from partisan organizations, as well as the fact that it wasn’t offered at every high school. He said this time, it will be offered for every high school, though principals will not be required to use it or make it mandatory for students.

Robertson added that the initiative will cost the district between $4,000 and $6,000 and will come from the district’s transportation budget.

“Earlier this year, our team was talking about this idea and we got behind it saying, ‘Ok, lesson learned from two years ago. We’re going to offer this to every school,’” he said. “So there’s no concerns about who is doing it, we’ll take it out of the transportation budget."

Robertson said Hamilton County Schools has about 1,500 18-year-old students this fall, though many of them are not registered to vote. He said some schools do not have much demand for the service, however, due to having a small number of students who are able to vote.

“We’re not forcing any school to do this, and we’re not forcing any school to take a bus,” he said. “We have several schools that just don’t have enough 18-year-olds. Specifically, Lookout Valley, I think has less than five … We’ve got some schools that just have low numbers.”

The plan has been met with opposition by some Republican board members, such as Jodi Schaffer, who expressed concerns about students being influenced by partisan rhetoric.

"Like it or not, there is undue influence by our professionals, especially in this type of partisan atmosphere," she said. “This is a very controversial election, and we need to be cautious in how we influence young adults."

School board member Jill Black, a Democrat, said the initiative will encourage civic engagement, adding that the field trip will emphasize the importance of voter participation in a democratic society.

"I don't understand why it would be considered appropriate parts of the curriculum to encourage our students to register to vote, but then not appropriate parts of our curriculum for them to be able to exercise their vote," she said.

Alondra Gomez, a local resident and community organizer with the nonprofit Chattanooga in Action for Love, Equality, and Benevolence (CALEB), said during public comments that she supports the district's move to encourage students’ civic engagement by providing transportation.

Gomez said that a recent study from the voting rights nonprofit Organize Tennessee ranked Tennessee 47th in terms of voter turnout nationwide and 50th in youth voter turnout, adding that the state is also among the “most undemocratic states in the country.” She noted that lack of transportation is a major barrier to voter participation.

“Tennessee consistently ranks among the worst states for voter participation,” she said. “That is appalling to say the least, but our school board has a unique opportunity to make a difference.”

Robertson said that moving forward, the school district may consider additional policies to mitigate concerns about swaying students to vote certain ways. Board Chairman Joe Smith said that while the board remains largely divided on the issue, many students have already signed up to be transported to the polls.

“We’ve already told our kids we’re going to do this at this point,” Smith said. “The wrong thing to do is say, ‘No, just kidding.’”