Pekin voters reject proposal to make all school board seats at-large

PACKWOOD – A ballot measure that would have changed a residency requirement for the Pekin school board has failed.

Voters in the Pekin Community School District rejected the measure at the polls on Tuesday, Sept. 10, voting 240-130 (65%) against a proposed change that would have made all seven Pekin school board seats at-large. With the vote, the school board will continue with its current setup of two at-large seats and one representative from each of the five districts.

A group called Pride in Pekin had collected over 300 signatures to put the measure up for a vote. According to a letter signed by Erin Pedrick and other members of the group, they argued the current setup was too restrictive since it’s sometimes hard to find people willing to serve on the school board from each district.

Pekin Community School District released the following vote totals by county:

Keokuk County: 139 against, 82 in favor

Jefferson County: 61 against, 33 in favor

Wapello County: 32 against, 11 in favor

Washington County: 8 against, 4 in favor