Title: Deliver your ballot by May 16th!
Original CoS Document (slug): deliver-your-ballot-by-may-16th
Login Required to view? No
Created: 2023-05-11 01:27:34
Updated: 2023-05-21 17:58:41
Published: 2023-05-11 03:00:00
Converted: 2025-04-14T21:24:40.913347662
Do you ever feel like there are no candidates worth voting for in state senate or representative races? Want to know what you can do about it? Read on!
You have received your ballot by now and have an important job to do. No, it’s not to select your next state representative or state senator. Your important job is to select your local school board members.
“School board members don’t matter,” you say? Quite the opposite, school board members are the level of government that is the closest to the people. Voter turnout in school board elections is often abysmally low, which means that your vote has a larger impact compared to an election with high turnout.
School board elections are important for several reasons. School board members vote on the curricula that are taught in our children’s schools. School board members also decide about school policies regarding discipline and school resource officers, vote on budgets, and refer property tax levies to the voters in their district.
The often-overlooked reason that school board members are important is that serving on the school board is often a stepping stone to higher office. Next time you see city council or county commissioner candidates running for office, pay attention to how many of them have served on a school board. If you don’t like the candidates that you have to choose from for city council, county commissioner, state representative, or state senator, you have an opportunity to change that. Elect school board members that you’d like to see run for higher office.
Although school board, county commissioner, and city councilor offices are usually nonpartisan, county political parties will often endorse a particular candidate. Running a campaign is a skill. County parties will help candidates run the campaign since the party already has the campaign infrastructure in place. Check your county party’s website for endorsements.
To find out more about your local school board candidates, perform an internet search for your local school district and “school board candidate forum.” The candidate forums are often available on the school district’s website for viewing anytime. Questions are often submitted by the public and you will be able to determine which candidates are worth voting for after just a few answers.
Engaged, self-governing citizens, like you, will vote in your local school board election. Be sure to return your ballots by Tuesday, May 16th!