
The proposed new Nashville school board districts. Map provided by the Metro Planning Department
Nashville will hold partisan school board elections in 2022 after the county Republican and Democratic parties voted last week to hold primaries.
- The Democrats conditionally voted to hold a primary only if the Republican Party did the same. Republicans kept their vote secret until the 11th hour by alerting the Election Commission late Friday afternoon.
- Democrats feared that if they voted not to hold primaries, the left-leaning candidates would be forced to run as independents and split the votes, while conservatives could coalesce behind the identified Republican primary winner.
Why it matters: Democrats will enter the elections as heavy favorites. Nashville councilmember and political data analyst Dave Rosenberg tweeted Friday that the newly drawn school board districts lean heavily Democratic.
- The least favorable district, John Little's District 4, leans +9 for Democrats, per Rosenberg.
- In addition to Little, school board members Rachael Anne Elrod, Fran Bush, and Gini Pupo-Walker are up for reelection in 2022.
- All nine current board members are likely to run as Democrats.

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