Ohio bill would expose partisan candidates in school board races by adding people’s political parties

Ohio lawmakers advocated adding political party labels to candidates in local school board elections, saying it would help Ohioans identify candidates aligned with their values and beliefs.

Last week, the Senate General Government Committee heard from supporters of Senate Bill 107. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, intends to add partisan affiliation to school board races.

Among the bill’s supporters was Lisa Breedlove Chaffee, a member of a group called Parents Rights in Education and the parent of a former Hilliard City Schools student, the Ohio Capitol Journal reported. She said holding school board elections without partisan labels leaves voters unable to vet candidates’ values.

“We see names on ballots, but no clues about a candidate’s values or potential biases,” Chaffee told the committee. “In today’s climate — marked by national flashpoints over curriculum, parental rights and even basic literacy — that’s no longer acceptable.”

Even though she said that this information would empower Ohioans to vote, Chaffee acknowledged that some people would vote simply because a candidate either has an “R” or “D” next to his or her name.

“I’m guilty of it, if I don’t see an ‘R’ beside someone’s name or an ‘I,’ I don’t vote in that particular race, so I think this will actually encourage people to vote more, and I hope people will do their research to begin with,” she said, according to the Ohio Capitol Journal report.

The Ohio chapter of conservative group Americans for Prosperity also supported the bill, calling party affiliation “a key piece of information that helps voters understand a candidate’s general philosophy, approach to governance and likely policy positions.”

“By requiring party designation, S.B. 107 ensures that voters are not left guessing about where candidates stand on important issues,” Hannah Kubbins, legislative director for the group, said.

Ohio Research Director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Aaron Churchill, supported the idea of including the political affiliations of school board candidates, agreeing with Chaffee that voters are more likely to skip nonpartisan races.

In a post, Churchill said that “nonpartisan elections likely weaken accountability because voters don’t know which party is in power and who deserves the boot for acting contrary to their interests.”

“In democracies, citizens work to resolve their differences through elections and the political process,” he wrote. “Rather than suppressing differences under the illusion of ‘nonpartisanship,’ moving to more transparent school board elections might just make for a healthier democracy and more responsive public schools.”