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For years, the debate over how to elect Utah's state school board has been locked in a stalemate between partisan and nonpartisan proposals.
Several bills have been sponsored and defeated, allowing a widely-unpopular hybrid model that blends direct elections and gubernatorial appointments to stay on the books.
But on Wednesday, the Utah House's new Majority Whip Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, presented an idea to "split the baby" by requiring would-be school board members to acquire signatures from voters in order to qualify for a direct, nonpartisan election.
Under his bill, school board candidates would need to gather 2,000 signatures, including at least 300 from each school district they represent.
"Does it do everything?" he asked. "No. But it does more than the delegate system."
Gibson said he has tried to create a bill that could pass in the Legislature after watching multiple attempts to create partisan elections fail.
He said there is a concern that the size of school board districts makes it difficult to vet candidates in a nonpartisan system. But the requirement to gather signatures would force candidates to interact with constituents.
"I can't just go to my home turf where people know me," he said. "I have to get out to another area where people don't know me."
Members of the education interim committee questioned whether Gibson's proposal would increase or decrease the cost of running a school board campaign. And Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, suggested that a candidate could hire an outside firm to gather signatures.
Gibson acknowledged that his bill would impact candidacies but he added that any election system is vulnerable to abuses.
"I think there are people that game whatever system we put in if they can," he said.
Gibson's bill is currently one of three proposals being prepared by lawmakers to alter the state's method for electing state school board members.
In September, U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups struck down the current candidate selection process, finding that it violates the free speech rights of candidates.
Currently, candidates are vetted by a nominating committee that forwards three names per school board seat to the governor, who then chooses the final two names to appear on the ballot.
Waddoups decision led to the late additions of three names to the most recent election ballot. The case has been placed on hold pending action by the Legislature.
Among the other proposals currently announced by lawmakers is a bill by Rep. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, that would amend the Utah Constitution to create a school board that is wholly-appointed by the governor. The third bill, by Rep. Brian Greene, R-Pleasant Grove, would require school board candidates to go through the same partisan vetting process of other state office holders.
He said that allowing state and county delegates to vet school board candidates would result in a board that is more representative of voters' interests.
"We don't have to create a new process," Greene said. "We don't have to reinvent the wheel."
Education groups, including the state school board, largely support nonpartisan elections and some individuals have questioned whether party politics should be injected into school governance.
Sen. Patricia Jones, D-Holladay, questioned whether party delegates are truly representative of the public. She also said that making school board races partisan could result in voters being less informed about candidates.
"If you want to have a lazy voter, put an R or a D next to a school board candidate," she said.