School board candidates forced to declare partisan labels, with nonpartisan option, under House bill

School board candidates would be forced to have a partisan label on the general election ballot under legislation approved by a House committee Wednesday.

The measure doesn’t require candidates to run in partisan primaries — which the Senate version does — but it does have rules around candidate labels.

If school board candidates want to run as Democrats or Republicans, they have to have voted with that party in the two most recent primary elections, or have permission from their county party chair.

They can also choose to appear on the ballot as independents or nonpartisan.

Those who testified in support of HB 1230 were all conservatives, many of whom accused candidates of deceiving voters. Juanita Albright is on the school board in Hamilton County.

“The decisions made by school boards are inherently political and voters deserve to have more information regarding candidates when they go to the polls,” Albright said.

But Michael Langford staunchly disagrees. Langford, who serves on the Avon School Board, said he’s not hiding from voters; he’s nonpartisan.

“Deciding bus contracts and bus drivers who are hired, deciding what we need to do for our special needs children and what we need to expand our vocational programs — I guess I don’t see that as a Republican or Democratic issue,” Langford said.

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Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith also testified on the bill, his first time doing so since taking office. He said it’s about transparency and denied that forcing candidates to declare partisanship would create division.

“Those who push back, I just say I think you’re trying to hide something,” Beckwith said. “It looks like you don’t want people to know what you really believe.”

The bill advanced to the House floor along partisan lines.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.