A look back at previous elections

Crow Wing County Auditor Deborah Erickson said there are 22,950 registered voters in the Brainerd School District and 6,757 registered voters in the Crosby-Ironton School District in the county. There are an additional 1,253 registered voters in the Brainerd School District who live in Cass County, according to the Cass County auditor's office. And there are four parcels within the Brainerd School District in Morrison County as well.

The last Brainerd School Board election was Nov. 8, 2005, in which 1,803 votes were cast. For the March 12, 2002, bond referendum to build Forestview Middle School, there were a total of 8,543 votes cast, 4,314 yes votes and 4,221 no votes, according to the district.

Other notable Brainerd school bond and levy referendums and vote totals, according to school district records:

2001 operating levy referendum, which passed with 55 percent of the vote, brought 6,982 voters to the polls.

1997 operating levy referendum, which passed by 190 votes, brought 5,442 voters to the polls.

1994 bond levy referendum to buy and renovate the Brainerd Technical College Building, to build additions at Brainerd High School and Riverside Elementary School, which passed by 2,150 votes, 694 votes and 1,393 votes, respectively, brought 5,323 voters to the polls.

1992 bond referendum to build a Garfield Elementary School addition and renovate Tornstrom Auditorium, which passed by 597 votes, brought 1,914 voters to the polls.

February 1990 bond referendum to build a new junior high building and construct a new BHS auditorium, which failed by 2,553 votes and 3,388 votes respectively, brought 8,965 voters to the polls.

December 1990 bond referendum to renovate and repair existing facilities, which passed by 860 votes, brought 3,716 voters to the polls.

1988 bond referendum to build an auditorium complex at BHS was narrowly defeated by 10 votes and brought 2,741 voters to the polls.

In December 2002, C-I voters overwhelmingly passed a $20.5 million bond referendum for building improvements with a total of 2,782 votes cast, 1,864 yes votes and 918 no votes, according to Dispatch records. In December of 2003, C-I barely passed its current $404 per pupil operating levy referendum by 15 votes with a total of 2,852 votes cast, according to the district. Two other operating levy questions on that ballot each asking for a $100 per pupil unit increase failed.