From the House Press Release:
Calling this an opportunity to save taxpayer money and increasing voter participation, House Majority Whip Rep. Valerie J. Longhurst introduced legislation Thursday that would align public school board elections with the bi-annual general elections.
House Bill 117 would eliminate the annual school board elections for the 16 school districts that elect board members. School board elections currently are held on the second Tuesday of May and can occur in any year. Under the legislation, school board elections would move to Election Day beginning in 2010. Doing so will save the state from having to mobilize poll workers, voting machines and running up to 16 separate elections on the same day, which amounts to a statewide election.
“It’s rare that we as legislators can do something that will both save money and increase voter participation in the public process, but this will definitely increase turnout for school board elections,” said Rep. Longhurst, D-Bear. “Currently, less than 2 percent of registered voters actually vote in school board elections. It’s disheartening that people aren’t active in school board elections. Hopefully with this change, people will become more involved and give the same scrutiny to school board races as they do with all other elections.
Thank God. I have been saying for years that we have too many elections in this country, so much so that elections because commonplace and unimportant…. something you don’t have to do. By having all elections take place on one day, you improve turnout for the lower elections, like that of school board. Further, people often don’t receive notice of local and school board elections, no matter how diligently the paper announces it. By having these elections take place the same time as the general election, there is a better chance people will remember to vote in them.
Now pass this bill.