When Melissa Isaac began campaigning for re-election to the board of Mt. Pleasant Public Schools, it wasn't long before she noticed something was odd. Voters on the Saginaw Chippewa Isabella Indian Reservation had ballots that did not list their school district. Instead, their ballots listed Shepherd Public Schools.
Isaac explained to multiple voters that they could sign her nominating petition, even though they lived in a different school district and wouldn't be able to vote for her in the coming election.
"I said, 'I know, I know it's weird, I also vote for Shepherd Public Schools but we do live in the district so, you can sign my petition, but you won't be able to vote for me,'" Isaac said. "And so when I said that out loud, I thought, 'That doesn't sound right.'"
Isaac called the township clerk's office to ask about the discrepancy, and after several conversations, was told that a correction would be made right away.
Listen in to the full conversation with Melissa Isaac on the Stateside podcast today.
Read Neely Bardwell's reporting on this story at NativeNewsOnline.net.
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GUESTS ON TODAY'S SHOW:
- Melissa Isaac, head of the Indigenous Education Initiative for the Michigan Department of Education; treasurer of the Mt. Pleasant Public School Board
