Mark your calendars: five seats on North Penn’s School Board are up for election on Tuesday, November 8, as the four-year terms of incumbent Republicans Josephine Charnock, Stephen Hladik, Donald Hill, Rick Miniscalco, and John Schilling, come to an end.
The newcomer Democratic candidates Suzan Leonard, Caroline Murphy, Paul Edelman, Alex Ryabin, and Tina Stoll, run on the campaign slate called the “1st S.T.E.P. for North Penn School District” (Students and Teachers Expect Progress). At present, the School Board consists solely of Republican members. The Democratic challengers hope to win the votes of the North Penn citizens with an overall sentiment of changing the way the School Board runs and the way in which the School Board interacts with individuals in the community.
In order to have a voice in choosing the officials that will run our community, people can exercise their democratic right and head to their local polling station on Election Day: Tuesday, November 8. Also, bear in mind, if you are someone who prefers to exercise his or her right to not vote, there is also a “Choose Not to Vote” button where you can be on record as making that choice as well. Sample ballots for all Montgomery County municipalities are available at http://webapp.montcopa.org/voterservices/sampleballots/
Detailed information is provided on the Montgomery County website, answering any questions you may have regarding the voting process. If unsure about where to go, http://voterservices.montcopa.org/voterservices/cwp/view,a,1459,q,58101.asp, provides you with your exact polling station based solely on your first name, last name, and birth date. Confusion about how to use the voting machines can be cleared with this tutorial video: http://voterservices.montcopa.org/voterservices/cwp/view,A,1459,Q,31242,voterservicesNav,%7C.asp.
Another feature Montgomery County offers is sample ballots. Arguably one of the most intimidating aspects of the voting process for many people may be understanding the ballot and being comfortable with how to navigate through it.
For more information on the individual candidates or about the basics of the way the volunteer body that is the School Board runs, check out the section headed “NPSB Election Profiles,” which contains responses to six interviews questions asked by the incumbent and newcomer candidates willing to participate.