Only 1,190 PTA officials out of an estimated 4,500 potential voters cast ballots this spring in the election for the 34 Community Education Councils, according to the Department of Education press office. Despite an extensive publicity campaign through the DOE's [Powertotheparents.org](http://powertotheparents.org/selectorresults.htm)_ organizers and website, 18 councils will require another round of elections to break a tie or add an uncontested candidate. The district and citywide councils are considered to be the parent voice under mayoral control.

Only a school's three PTA officials can vote for CEC candidates. During the first round of elections, PTA officials each had two votes to cast; during the second round, they will each have one vote.

Six CECs will hold an election for a candidate who received no votes during the first round of elections. "They were on the original ballot, but they just didn't receive any votes," said Nicole Duiginan, a DOE spokesperson. "[The chancellor's regulation] requires an affirmative vote take place." CECs must have at least six members to hold an official meeting, and several districts operated without a quorum for much of this school year. In the recent election, District 8 in the Bronx and District 16 in Brooklyn only elected five members, so they will each hold a second "election" to obtain one more member, chosen from the candidates who received no votes during the first round.

Eight CECs will have true tiebreakers, where several candidates all received the same number of votes. <!--more-->

All public school parents were encouraged to participate in the process by voting in a straw poll, which the DOE said would advise PTA officials on how to vote. The straw poll results, however, were not released until after the PTA voted. Meanwhile, the CEC candidate forums drew little interest in many districts around the city, and the election deadlines were postponed.

The run-off elections are planned for next week, but the DOE could not confirm the official dates. "They're optimistic that it will happen next week," said Duiginan. The final results will be available "as soon as possible," he said.

Some advocates argue that low participation reflects parents' belief that they have no voice under mayoral control. In the next few weeks, the state legislature will decide whether to reaffirm mayoral control or revise it. Several proposals under review advocate for stronger parent participation.