Bond election coverage - Bond passes with 70 percent approval

Ames Community School District Special Election for $55 million bond to renovate two elementarty schools and build three new ones.

By Lauris Olson
AmesNewsOnline

(APRIL 3, 2012 - 9 p.m.) The bond has passed. "Yes" votes were 2,987 and "No" were 1,312 votes. The bond needed 60 percent approval to pass. It passed with 69.48 percent.  Turn out was 11.5 percent.

(April 3, 2012 – 12:45 p.m. UPDATE) Voters in the Ames School District’s bond referendum election today need to make certain they know what ward and precinct they were assigned to when the districts were restructured after the 2010 Census. They also need to remember there are only four voting sites for the special election.

Otherwise, they may find themselves at the wrong polling place.

Lucy Martin, the Story County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, says she has gotten three calls so far today about confusion over where people should vote.

“People who were registered before should have gotten a card back in February telling them what their new ward and precinct are,” said Martin. “If they have moved or were inactive, they probably didn’t get a card and so they may not know their precinct – even Ward- has changed since the previous bond referendum in September.”

The four polling places are

• Ames Ward 1, Grant Township and Milford Township in the Ames School District -Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue
• Ames Ward 2 - Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Avenue
• Ames Ward 3, and Washington Township in the Ames School District - Collegiate United Methodist Church, 2622 Lincoln Way,
• Ames Ward 4 and Franklin Township in the Ames School District - Memorial Lutheran Church, 2228 Lincoln Way

Martin said there are precinct maps with voting locations at every polling place. People who still are uncertain about where to vote after checking the map should call her office at 382-7210.

The county website does NOT contain the information some voters will need, said Martin.

“We are switching to a new website and not everything is functional yet.”

Initial post

(April 3, 2012 - Noon) Turnout has been light during the first four hours polls have been open in the Ames Communty School District Special Bond Election.

The Story County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections' Office said that 905 out of the 37,528 registered voters in the disrict have cast ballots, The 905 represent 2.41 percent of the district's voting electorate.

Over 16 percent of the school district voters turned out for the September 2011 election, which included an unsuccessful bond referendum for the rehabilitation and building of six elementary schools.

The next voter totals will be reported as of 3 p.m.