1-minute voter guide: Partisan school board races
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Early voting is underway at the City-County Building. Photo: Arika Herron/Axios
You may see something new on your ballot this election cycle — school board candidates with a political party affiliation.
Why it matters: Indiana's school board races are partisan for the first time, testing the impact of a change made by lawmakers last year.
The big picture: Statewide, about half of school board candidates did not declare a political affiliation, according to Indiana Election Division filing records analyzed by Axios.
- More than a third of candidates are affiliated with the GOP, about 7% registered as Independent and about 6% as Democrats.
How it works: When filing their candidacy, school board candidates must now indicate their political affiliation.
- They may choose Democrat, Libertarian, Republican or Independent. Candidates may also write in a party or choose no affiliation or elect not to disclose their affiliation.
- To affiliate with the Democratic or Republican Party, the candidate must have voted for that party in the last two primary elections in which they participated.
- Otherwise, they must get consent from the party's county chair.
Yes, but: Straight-ticket voting does not include school board candidates, even if they're affiliated with one of the major parties.
- You'll still need to vote separately in those races.
Context: Some lawmakers and education advocates warn the move to partisan races would turn people away when some communities already struggle to find enough school board candidates.
- So far, it doesn't seem to have decreased interest by much. The number of candidates this year is stable compared to the general election two years ago, according to records analyzed by Axios, and down roughly 10% from the previous few election cycles.
Zoom in: In Marion County, most candidates are running as Democrats or without a party affiliation, meaning voters will still be parsing issues to find distinction between candidates.
Case in point: Of the 15 candidates running for five seats on the Indianapolis Public Schools board, 13 have identified themselves as Democrats on the ballot; one is running as an Independent; and another did not declare a party affiliation.
- There are divisions, though, in how candidates would approach the district's tenuous relationship with charter schools.
What's next: Early voting is underway and Election Day is Nov. 3.