Be Sure to Vote on August 18: School Board Elections May Be Decided

School board elections are critical contests in Manatee County's election cycle. We need to identify the best leaders to serve our diverse student population. Our future depends on it. That process begins and may end in August, a surprise to many voters. To prepare for August voting, the time to vet school board candidates is now. It is not too early to attend candidate forums and other events featuring school board candidates.

As Florida voters, when many of us think of August, we think of primary elections, when candidates within specific political parties are chosen to run as their party’s choice in the upcoming November election. Because of this occurrence, August is widely considered the month of primary races. Although it is true that thinking of August only as the time when primary races are decided is a real problem for our community, because school board races can be decided in August, and voters may not turn out in the same numbers as voters in November.

Here’s how school board elections in Florida work: They are non-partisan races, meaning that candidates do not run as candidates of a political party, even though they may be a registered member of that party. They run in an August election. Your choice for the school board will be limited to those candidates running to represent the district within which you reside.

“If two or more candidates run for a school board seat, a nonpartisan primary election is held. If a candidate gets a simple majority of votes (50% + 1 vote) in the primary election, they are elected to office outright, provided no write-in candidate qualifies for the general election. If no candidate gets a majority, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election” (Ballotopia).

This process makes it a little confusing for voters. The school board election is still listed as a “primary,” but in reality, it may be the final election if a candidate receives a simple majority.

If you think that public education is a foundation of our democracy, as did Thomas Jefferson, then you want your vote to count in school board elections. You need to vote in August for that to happen. If a candidate wins a majority of votes, the election is over. If no candidate receives a simple majority, then vote again in November.

If this explanation is more than you want to know, just remember: “Vote for School Board Candidates in August.”

Dr. Barbara J. Ehren is Chair of the Manatee Branch NAACP Education Committee.  Dr. Merrie Lynn Parker is Chair of the LWV Manatee County Education Issues Action Team.