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Low voter turnout is always an issue in Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board elections - so much so that almost half the 19 people running for school board this year didn't vote in 2005, the last time district candidates were elected.
At that time, frustration with CMS was rampant. Suburbanites were gathering by the hundreds to talk about seceding from the countywide district. School bonds were defeated.
But 80 percent of registered voters didn't vote for school board - and the 20 percent who did returned their incumbents to office.
In fairness, two of the nine current candidates who missed that vote - Nicole Hudson and Joel Levy of District 3 - didn't live here then. Levy voted in 2007, when at-large board members were chosen. Hudson just moved to Mecklenburg County this year.
The rest cite a variety of reasons for being Election Day no-shows.
Susan Walker (District 5) was getting married. Gail Summerskill (District 1) was traveling. John Ross (District 6) said he was so new to the area he didn't know the issues.
Teresa Tudor (District 3) said she can't remember "and I don't feel like talking about it." Robin Bradford (District 1) didn't return calls asking about the vote.
All of them voted two years ago, when the board's three at-large members were elected, voter records show.
Aaron Pomis (District 3) and Terri Dickerson (District 6) missed both of the two most recent school-board elections.
Dickerson, who has repeatedly said her district needs stronger representation, says she didn't vote because she didn't know enough about the candidates and issues at the time.
Pomis, a science teacher, was sheepish about missing the elections. He doesn't remember details of 2005, but he said he clearly remembers Election Day two years ago. He and a handful of educators had just launched KIPP Charlotte, part of a charter chain that uses long school days and intense teacher involvement with students to boost achievement.
Around 9 p.m., he says, the crew looked up from planning for the next day and realized they'd missed their chance to vote. Ever since, he said, the faculty have made sure they take voting breaks.
