This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Polls have consistently shown that Utahns prefer their school board elections, both local and state, to be nonpartisan. The Legislature changed the state school board elections last year to partisan elections, starting in 2018.
Rep. Raymond Ward has proposed a bill, HB151, that would change this to better reflect the will of the people by making these elections nonpartisan. Unfortunately, the House Rules Committee has denied Ward — and the residents of Utah — the opportunity to have this change debated on the House floor by refusing to pass the bill to the House for debate there.
Allowing the House and Senate to debate this change would have an extremely positive impact on the education of our children throughout the state. Nonpartisan elections allow the people to choose school board candidates in open elections that are unencumbered by the caucus system. Unaffiliated voters do not have the opportunity to fully participate in the process when elections are partisan.
Please contact your member of the House of Representatives and ask them to please ensure this bill will be debated on the House floor.
Amber Bonner
Cedar Hills