Washington, D.C. — The composition of a school board significantly influences the quality of public education in regional communities, yet voter turnout in these local elections remains low nationwide. A new analysis from the Center for American Progress (CAP) underscores the importance of school board elections and offers policy recommendations to enhance voter participation.
There are over 82,000 school board members in the United States, but voter turnout in these elections often ranges between 5 to 10 percent. To increase this turnout, CAP's authors suggest aligning local elections with presidential ones, enacting federal and state voting rights legislation, and adopting more representative election systems.
Key findings from the brief include:
- In Virginia’s 2023 local school board elections, more than one-third of races statewide were decided by fewer than 500 votes, and over 80 percent were decided by fewer than 2,000 votes.
- Seventy-eight percent of all U.S. school board members are white; 68 percent do not have children in public schools; 52 percent are male; and 49 percent have household incomes exceeding $100,000.
- Although 90 percent of school board members are elected in nonpartisan elections, these contests have become arenas for some of the country's most contentious political and social issues—including LGBTQI+ rights, racial equity and justice, public health measures, and school boundaries.
- School board members tend to be elected disproportionately by older, white affluent voters. Consequently, they may prioritize this group's policy preferences both because they share similar identities and because these voters are crucial for their reelection.
- Districts with higher voter turnout in school board elections tend to exhibit better academic performance compared to those with lower turnout.
“Voter turnout for school board elections remains alarmingly low, and it’s time to do better,” said Rebecca Mears, director of Democracy Policy at CAP and co-author of the brief. “Thankfully, there are a number of ways to effectively improve voter turnout in school board elections and reduce existing voter participation disparities.”
“The decisions that school boards make affect the entire community,” said Paige Shoemaker DeMio, senior analyst for K-12 Education Policy at CAP and co-author of the brief. “Individuals who do not cast an informed ballot in their local school board elections are relinquishing important decision-making power to people who may not be qualified or have their community’s best interests in mind.”
The full brief is titled "5 Reasons To Pay Attention to Local School Board Elections" by Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Rebecca Mears, and Lisette Partelow.
For further information or expert commentary contact Mishka Espey at [email protected].
