School board races should not be partisan
Why does having an R or a D behind the name of a candidate determine who would be the best person to serve the country, state, county and school board?
That’s right. Senate File 98, which has been introduced and referred to the Senate Education Committee, would require that school board candidates declare their party affiliation and that the general election ballots list said affiliation.
Why? Is it so people do not have to learn what the candidates stand for they just see the R or D or L or C or I after their name and make their vote based on a letter?
Why is this necessary in Wyoming? Based on voter registration as of Jan. 1, 2025, per the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office, of 296,703 registered voters, 227,881 were Republican, 77% of voters in Wyoming were registered as Republicans. The odds are those running for school boards are 77% likely to be Republican.
If this goes through the bill should be amended so Republicans know which caucus the candidate is affiliated with R-FC for Republican Freedom Caucus or R-WC for Wyoming Caucus and so forth depending on the caucus affiliation within the party.
My hope has always been that voters strive to be informed about the candidates, what they believe, what they want to do if in office, why they want the office. Some serve for money and power and some serve to give back to their community and some serve because others told them to, while still others serve for a specific agenda (which they usually find out they have no control over once elected).
When I ask voters to be informed I do not mean to know which party the candidate is affiliated with, find out about the person behind the R or D or C or L or I.
My hope is the bill goes no further than the Senate Education Committee. It is not necessary and it is a scary thought of where this will go next. Will municipal candidates have to declare a party, what about board appointments such as fair boards, weed and pest boards, solid waste boards, conservation district boards, fire district boards, cemetery district boards. Should we be worried that a D-L-C or I is elected to one of these boards?
We should be electing the people we want to represent our county, our city, our school district, not based on party affiliation but based on whether or not we believe they can do the job we elected them to do. We can determine that by listening to them, attending forums and debates, reading profiles in local newspapers.
What does having a letter after their name really tell us? It could tell us the person is registered Republican because in the Big Horn Basin it is truly the only way your voice is heard.
In Washakie County of 4,270 registered voters only 301 were not registered as Republicans (14%). In Big Horn County, of 6,295 registered voters, only 810 were not Republican (13%); in Park County only 15% are not registered Republicans of 18,382 total registered voters; and in Hot Springs County, 16% are not registered Republican among the 2,873 registered voters.
Interesting note, in each county there were more unaffiliated (independent) voters than Democrats. How many true unaffiliated are registered Republicans? How many voters who lean Democrat register as Republicans?
In 2022 when all county offices were on the ballot, no Washakie County candidates were opposed in the General Election, with only Republicans running in the Primary. The same held true in Hot Springs County, with the only exception being House District 28 where there has been a Democrat on the ballot in 2022 and 2024. In Park County, the commissioner race in 2022 had one Libertarian candidate for three seats, all other county races were decided in the primary race; and finally in Big Horn County, Republicans in all county races had no opposition in the General Election.
I am sure this is true for other counties in the state.
With all of that said, I ask, what problem does Senate File 98 fix? If it does not fix a problem then why is it necessary and why is the Legislature wasting their time on it?