Teachers union candidates point to flaws in election
Mike Matthews, one of two people remaining in the state education union president's race, says some teachers were not able to vote in last month's election, in which he and Karen Crouse deadlocked.
The Red Clay Consolidated School District teacher and others in the union claim that not all members received ballots either by regular mail or electronically.
"It's clear there were some challenges with this election that prevented many of our supporters from casting a ballot," he wrote on his Facebook page this week. "I'm guessing it would be fair to say these same issues plagued our opponents, as well."
Matthews and Lake Forest's Crouse tied in the election. It is not confirmed how that tie will be resolved.
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Matthews said the ballot issue contributed to poor turnout, in which about 2,200 members, or 20 percent of the union, voted.
Last week, the Delaware State Education Association said the turnout was about in line with recent elections. Matthews said turnout was higher than usual but should have been even higher if not for the ballot issue.
DSEA officials have declined to say how many people voted and would not answer questions for this story, instead issuing a statement.
"We cannot comment any further given that the results remain preliminary at this time. If a complaint or challenge is brought to DSEA’s attention, such matters are handled in accordance with our internal election policy."
Crouse said on Monday nothing was done differently during the election and did not directly answer questions about Matthews' claims.
She blamed poor turnout on a lack of participation by union members. She also said she respected the process going forward.
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Preliminary results will be presented for certification to the DSEA executive board at its Feb. 16 meeting, the union said.
An email to union members states that at that meeting, the executive board will be presented with any uncounted ballots postmarked before midnight Jan. 23, when voting closed.
They may subsequently be counted, and the tie may be resolved at that time, the email implies.
If the tie stands, the DSEA will hold a runoff election. The winner will replace President Frederika Jenner, who is coming to the end of her second three-year term.
According to Matthews, not all union members are pleased with the idea of the tie being resolved without another vote.
"Many of you have responded incredulously to the potential 'appearance' of ballots postmarked before the end of day Jan. 23," he said in his Facebook post. "... Here's where I stand: With the concerns shared by voters regarding the inconsistencies in access to the ballot, I am taking the position that the only right thing to do at this point is to afford the voters of DSEA an opportunity for a runoff election."
Concerns raised by other candidates
Matthews is not the only one with concerns about how the election was conducted.
Donato Rufo, who also ran for union president, said in an email he, too, heard complaints about the balloting process.
"Within a few hours of the opening of voting on Jan. 9, it was obvious there were issues," he said, adding that ballots were supposed to be emailed to DSEA members. If they did not have a valid email on file, the ballot was to be mailed.
"Social media posts from candidates and members indicated that many people did not receive the initial email," Rufo said. "By noon of the first day, DSEA had made statements ... stating that staff should 'check their spam and junk folders because your ballot may be there.'"
Rufo claims the problems didn't end there.
"I received many emails, texts and phone calls from staff that had not received anything … even after checking their spam and junk folders," he said. "... Many people told me they called DSEA. Some people said they were able to 'fix' email problems and eventually voted — some people called DSEA and were told they would receive a paper ballot … some did, and some told me that it never came."
The fact DSEA elections aren't known for high turnout doesn't alleviate his concerns, Rufo said. He said the union, which held its last contested election six years ago, should have made efforts to increase participation.
"Quite frankly, this election was not well done," he said. "There were too many issues and too little done to rectify them."
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Jackie Hildebrand-Kook, Matthews' running mate who lost to Stephanie Ingram for vice president, said the election left her with a lot of questions.
"I wonder why DSEA doesn't have an election committee," she said Thursday, adding that such a committee could help union members feel more involved in the process.
She is also frustrated with the lack of communication from DSEA and said she and Matthews still haven't been told whether or not the union received additional ballots after the tie was announced.
While, from what she's heard, the vast majority of DSEA members did get ballots after contacting the union with complaints, she's also begun to hear from people who never received one.
"I'm a little concerned that there's been no official statement from DSEA on whether or not there'll be a runoff," she said, adding that she firmly believes there should be one.
The larger impact
Concerns about the election's conclusion are not confined to the union and its members.
John Young, on the Christina school board, has questions about the process.
"While I am not close enough to the process to have a substantial complaint, it is obvious from an interested outsider standpoint that DSEA members clearly have concerns," Young said. "The only way DSEA can effectively and appropriately resolve them is to commit to a runoff. This will reinforce the confidence members must have that the organization is transparent and committed to a fair and equitable process.
"Parents and taxpayers have a legitimate and genuine interest in this union race because DSEA is a very influential player on education policy and who represents them as president on the state level is of material interest to all Delawareans."
Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or jbies@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.