DAYTON — Agents from the Department of Homeland Security were in Dayton on Monday to investigate an allegation of voter fraud at a high school.
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Dayton Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. David Lawrence, confirmed that he was alerted that three Homeland Security agents were at Ponitz Career Technology High School while in a meeting on Monday.
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Lawrence and the district’s chief of security got to the school and were met by the agents who were investigating a claim made by a former student regarding the district’s voter registration drive.
For at least the past 15 years, the district has held a drive to register 18-year-olds to vote.
“They interviewed a former student, and that the student said to them that they were told or forced to fill out the form and told who to vote for,” Lawrence said.
He went on to say that the district doesn’t have evidence of anything like that happening.
“We don’t tell anyone who to vote for, we don’t bring candidates in, but we do have folks who come in and say, ‘Hey, it’s really important to vote in this democracy,’” he said.
Lawrence said he was able to have about a 15-minute conversation with the agents and explain to them what the district does with the program.
As shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, Lawrence was asked by News Center 7’s Mike Campbell if he felt this incident could discourage student voting.
“We don’t participate in that back and forth; we participate in the process of educating kids, and I’m going to say it again, wanting them to participate in this democracy as active citizens,” Lawrence responded.
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