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Accountability in School Board Elections

Increasing Voter Turnout. Empowering Parents.

Nationwide, more than 96 percent of school board members are elected. But here’s the problem: In 37 states, some or all school board elections are held “off cycle.”

What does that mean? That means they are not held during major statewide elections, such as on Election Day in November—leading to much lower voter turnout that only serves special interests.

At a time when parents are rightly demanding accountability for how their children are taught, state policymakers should respond by moving school board elections to Election Day.

Center for Excellence in Polling, August 2023

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To further strengthen school board elections, policymakers should:

  • Require school board candidates to declare their party affiliation.
  • Impose term limits for school board members.
  • Eliminate staggered terms for school board members.

School Board Elections Should Be On Election Day

OP-ED

By Tarren Bragdon and Jonathan Bain

In 37 states, school board elections aren’t held in conjunction with statewide or national elections. This strange system was deliberately created to give special interests an advantage, since voter turnout is much lower at other times of the year. That’s especially concerning at a time when parents are demanding greater control over their kids’ education. For the sake of democracy and accountability, states should move these critical elections to coincide with regular election days.

Read in Fox News

Our Ensuring Fair and Transparent Elections Experts
Jonathan Bain

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