I’m a busy parent. My wife and I juggle the schedule for four kids (three in the Noblesville, Indiana, school system) on top of work, church and fun activities when we can squeeze them in. And like many Hoosier parents, when it comes down to learning about school board candidates, we often find ourselves cramming for the exam on Election Day.
I do my best to research the candidates ahead of time, which usually includes combing through Facebook posts, reading their public comments in news articles, or even chatting with them when I get the chance. But it’s not always easy to see who the best choice would be to lead my kids’ district. Part of the reason is that Indiana school board races have been deemed non-partisan, meaning that party affiliations are removed from the ballot for candidates for school board.
If all politics is local, why are candidates for the most local of offices – namely for our local school boards – exempt from the full political process? This is a question Indiana lawmakers should be asking themselves.
The political process of nominating candidates and going through partisan primaries provides clear information regarding candidates’ policies and ideologies for many voters. In fact, nearly 70 years of political science research says that party affiliation is the best predictor of vote choice, especially in low-information elections.
But to date, roughly 90% of school board races across the country have been exempt from this partisan process.
Non-partisan elections do not remove politics from local elections. Rather, they mislead and silence voters, as non-partisan candidates are not apolitical. In fact, many of them are often more politically polarized than candidates who declare their party affiliation. Voters have just been kept in the dark about their political beliefs.
Very few voters have the time or the energy to do extensive research on the candidates they will see on their ballot, especially those at the bottom of the ballot. In fact, selecting a candidate for governor is much easier for most voters than selecting a school board candidate simply because they can look at the ballot, see the candidates’ party affiliations, and select the candidate that most closely aligns with their own worldview. All too often, voters skip voting in school board races simply because this critical information is hidden from them.
Take Hamilton County, Indiana, for example, a suburban area full of swing voters. I have no doubt many of my neighbors chose not to vote in the school board race because they didn’t know which candidates aligned with their values.
Eight hundred school board seats were up for grabs in Indiana in 2024. These elected officials, even if they’re elected by a handful of voters, will be deeply invested in shaping our schools. School boards are responsible for hiring superintendents, creating student handbooks, and implementing federal and state regulations.
It’s no secret that school policies are becoming more and more contentious, and views on those policies have become polarized between the political parties. With partisan school board elections, voters would have a general sense of where candidates stand on issues such as school bathroom use, girls’ sports, parental consent, and other school-related issues simply because party labels provide a clue – as would the vetting from local political party organizations. School board candidates’ politics and worldview as they approach the task of school administration are vitally important, and voters have a right to know exactly what they are.
Indiana would be in good company. Other states are using partisan elections in local school board races to give voters this critical information and to increase voter participation in those elections. It’s working – and it’s popular.
In North Carolina, counties are allowed to hold either non-partisan or partisan school board elections. A study of this policy found that North Carolinians were up to five times more likely to vote in school board elections in a county with partisan elections compared to voters in counties with non-partisan school board elections.
Polling has found that two in three voters support including the party affiliation of school board candidates on the ballot. Wide support for this reform cuts across party lines and is even supported by a majority of voters who identify as Independents.
The bottom line is this: Voters don’t want to accidentally vote against their policy preferences, so without clear information to give them insight into the candidates’ worldview, they simply will not vote. Partisan elections for school boards increase turnout, and they are popular with voters.
Indiana lawmakers have done great work to build confidence in our election system and boost voter participation. Identifying the party affiliation of school board candidates on the ballot would be a natural next step to give voters clear information as they engage in the democratic process.
