Here's why the Lena-Winslow school referendum failed despite more 'yes' votes than 'no'

Although a referendum put before voters by the Lena-Winslow School District received more than 54% of the vote in Tuesday's primary election, it did not pass. 

The school district asked voters whether school board members should be elected at large without restrictions on residency within the district rather than electing them according to their congressional townships.

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According to state law, propositions to change the way school boards are elected —like the one posed by the Lena-Winslow School District Tuesday night — must get a majority of the vote in every township or a supermajority of the overall vote to pass.

After all the Election Day votes were counted, the question received a simple majority of 54.5% overall and did not receive more than 50% of the vote in every township making up the district.

As a result, the referendum failed.

"There's two ways it could have passed," Lena-Winslow Superintendent Tom Chiles said. "It could pass with a simple majority if it passed in each of the congressional townships within the school district. We have all or part of nine congressional townships in our school district. It did not get 50% of the vote in each of those townships."

The referendum also could have passed with 60% of the overall vote, Chiles said.

Stephenson County Clerk Vici Otte said her office hasn't canvassed the votes yet but verified that, so far, there's not a 60% supermajority. 

"There isn't anything that I can report as being official, but the initial report shows it did not pass," Otte said. 

The Lena-Winslow School District comprises Lena-Winslow Elementary School, Lena-Winslow Junior High School and Lena-Winslow High School. It serves roughly 800 students.

Jim Hagerty covers general news, schools, and courts. Contact him at  jhagerty@rrstar.com and @jimhagerty.