Think tank argues changing school board election date could increase voter turnout, engage the community

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The Foundation for Government Accountability is calling for school board elections to be held at the same time as other prominent elections, rather than in off-cycle years, in an effort to increase voter turnout. 

According to the FGA, more than 96% of school board members nationwide are elected. These elections, though, often happen in off-cycle years – elections that are not aligned with other major state-wide elections, like those for governor or Congress. 

School board elections are held off-cycle in 37 states, according to the FGA. This ultimately results in lower voter turnout for these elections. 

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Voters cast their ballots at the West Evangelical Free church in Wichita, Kansas on Tuesday August 2nd, 2022. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

For example, in Illinois, voter turnout was 15% in a local school board election, as opposed to 73% for the 2020 presidential election. A similar story is true in Pennsylvania, where voter turnout for the school board election was 32%, as opposed to 76% in the 2020 presidential election. 

"Off-cycle school board elections reduce voter turnout and muffle the voice of the community," FGA President and CEO Tarren Bragdon told Fox News Digital. "The timing of an election is the single largest predictor of voter turnout and lawmakers should strive to hold elections when people can best have their voices heard. Aligning school board elections with statewide elections will allow for greater turnout and better reflect the will of the communities the elections will affect." 

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Several organizations have argued holding school board elections at the same time as other prominent elections would increase voter turnout.   (The School District of Philadelphia)

Education experts and advocates have made a similar argument in the past. 

In 2016, the Brookings institute published a piece by Michael Hartney titled "It’s time to eliminate ‘off-cycle school board elections."

"While most citizens are tuned into the presidential primary contests this year, the important reality is that thousands of school board members will be ‘elected’ by tiny and unrepresentative electorates prior to next November’s general election," Hartney wrote.  

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A similar piece from Ken Blackwell of the America First Policy Institute in July argued that "On-Cycle School Board Elections Make it Easier to Vote." 

A 2021 piece from Max Eden of the American Enterprise Institute argued that "off-cycle school board elections deeply depress voter turnout and minimize genuine ‘local control’ in public education." 

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The FGA argued holding school board elections on-cycle, with other higher-profile elections, could provide as much as three times more voters, resulting in greater community control and input in the schools.