Lawsuit against school system for promoting Dems

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Reba

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Lawsuit: CPS pushing Democrats

By Kimball Perry • kperry@enquirer.com • October 18, 2010

Three van loads of Hughes High students were taken last week – during school hours – to vote and given sample ballots only for Democratic candidates and then taken for ice cream, a Monday lawsuit alleges.

The complaint was made by Thomas Brinkman Jr., a Republican candidate for Hamilton County auditor, and the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending & Taxes against Cincinnati Public Schools.

“They plan to bring four more high schools (to vote) this week,” Christopher Finney, COAST attorney, said Monday after filing the suit.

It seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent school officials from participating or helping students participate in partisan politics during school hours or with school property or employees involved.

But the school district’s lawyer denies any school connection.

“No CPS personnel engaged in the promotion of candidates or any political party,” CPS attorney Mark Stepaniak noted in a written release.

CPS spokeswoman Janet Walsh said taking students on school time to vote has been done before. “It has to be scrupulously nonpartisan,” Walsh said.

Stepaniak said church vans were volunteered to drive students to vote.

The suit alleges three van loads of Hughes High students arrived at the Downtown Board of Elections offices at 1 p.m. Wednesday, supervised by a school employee. School lets out at 3:15 p.m.

When they got out of the vans, the students, the suit alleges, also were accompanied by adults who appeared to be campaign workers or supporters for U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-West Price Hill, the congressman being challenged this fall by Steve Chabot. When the students got out of the vans, the suit alleges they were given sample ballots containing only Democratic candidates.

“We want these kids to vote,” Finney said. “I’m not sure them being bussed during the school day is a good thing, but that’s not the thrust of the suit.

“If they had fair sample ballots or no sample ballots it would be different.”

The suit alleges those actions violated a 2002 agreement between CPS and COAST where the school agreed it wouldn’t allow school property or employees to be used for “advocating the election or defeat of candidates for public office.”

On Monday, Finney asked Common Pleas Court Judge Beth Myers to hear his request for a temporary restraining order that was put on hold after the attorneys for the two sides met in court briefly, talked and then left.

Finney said if the issue isn’t resolved, he’ll go back to court.
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Lawsuit: CPS pushing Democrats | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

Also, what about using church vans to transport public school students? :hmm:
 
Wow, the Joe Camel of voting. Get 'em hooked while they're young!
 
Not surprised but I had been influenced by some people at school to vote republican politicians in 2006 midterm election.
 
Foxrac said:
Not surprised but I had been influenced by some people at school to vote republican politicians in 2006 midterm election.
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Who were "some people?". Were they students or staff? How did they influence you?
 
Reba said:
Who were "some people?". Were they students or staff? How did they influence you?
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Both of them and they told me about how great is republican politicians and encourage me to trust them but I don't trust at most cases.
 
Political parties cannot be trusted so that why I encourage people to check on candidate's background instead of direct to parties.
 
Nothing new about it....matter of fact, my WHOLE family "ganged up" on me to vote for George Wallace!....(talk about old news)!....They went downtown, marching...and all that jazz....ridiculous! I stayed home, told them to go "screw themselves".

And the news that ACORN is still in fact, up and running!....When I thought I had our governor's race figured out, and the best candidate that I would vote for...here's comes the smear campaign, (TV & News)....Same as for the Senate (Florida).....I just ain't voting at all, not anymore.

.
 
Personally, I don't think the the students should have been taken out of school to vote for any member of any party.
 
As much of a Democrat I am...I think it is wrong of the school to do that.
 
Yeah there is no reason to take students to vote no matter who they are voting for.
 
deafskeptic said:
Personally, I don't think the the students should have been taken out of school to vote for any member of any party.
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Well, they weren't actually. They were given sample ballots. It was more of an intro to the procedure.
 
The article says they were taken "to vote."
 
If you let someone tell you who to vote for, you have no business voting at all. Maybe they should just revert the voting rights to the landowners. It would make things much easier.
 
Banjo said:
If you let someone tell you who to vote for, you have no business voting at all. Maybe they should just revert the voting rights to the landowners. It would make things much easier.
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Underage landowners make me nervous. They have no idea of the labor involved in setting up amusement rides.
 
Reba said:
The article says they were taken "to vote."
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You can't use a sample ballot in an election. It also says they were provided with sample ballots. Perhaps they "voted" simply as a learning process of the procedure. "to vote" was in parentheses.
 
jillio said:
You can't use a sample ballot in an election. It also says they were provided with sample ballots. Perhaps they "voted" simply as a learning process of the procedure. "to vote" was in parentheses.
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I know you can't vote with a sample ballot. Sample ballots are used to demonstrate how to fill out a ballot. The actual vote is done with a real ballot.
 
Reba said:
I know you can't vote with a sample ballot. Sample ballots are used to demonstrate how to fill out a ballot. The actual vote is done with a real ballot.
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The lawsuit is based on the fact that the sample ballots contained only democratic candidates. Point is moot. When they actually voted, they were provided choice of party candidates.

Frankly, if bussing 18 year olds is necessary to get them to vote, then so be it. We bus people who need transportation to the polls all the time. And it certainly is an educational activity.

As far as church vans being used...they were not used for church activities and were used on a volunteer basis for that particular activity. No conflict of interest invloved.
 
and it was a Republican who made the complaint... hmm.
 
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