Colorado ballots were mailed out on October 8, 2021, and while the ballots aren’t particularly lengthy this Election Day, many Coloradans are highly engaged in local school board elections.
One such example is Douglas County, where four spots of the seven-member board are up for election, and only two incumbents are running for re-election. Fortunately, Douglas County is one of only two Colorado counties that do not use Dominion Voting Systems. Douglas and Garfield county residents all vote via ClearBallot, which includes features that increase transparency in the voting process.
School boards are considered non-partisan, which may sound lovely in theory, but in reality it does not mean school boards are neutral and without politics. It simply means there is no party affiliation listed next to candidate names on the ballot. And for the 80% of Douglas County registered voters who do not have school-aged children, this can present a problem.
Historically, data shows that when voters don’t know who to vote for, they skip that part of the ballot. Extensive overreach and mass confusion from pandemic mandates, etc., make this a particularly critical year for school board elections.
Further complicating matters is the fact that nine candidates are running for four positions. This can be a bit confusing, as “your board member” isn’t just voted for by residents in your immediate school zone, but by voters across the entire county. It’s up to voters to learn more about each candidate, otherwise, they’re likely to leave that part of their ballot blank.
Communication across a community becomes so vital. In Douglas County, parents who have a vested interest in making changes to their school board must actively get into their communities and talk openly with friends and neighbors in order to effect change. It’s true what we keep hearing—if we want to make a difference in our communities and in our country, it’s up to every one of us to act locally and step up to effect change.
Everyday citizens have the chance to affect change in their local school boards, but if we continue to allow the federal government to grow in power, their Department of Education will take over schools nationwide.
We can't let that happen.
A Convention of States can propose constitutional amendments that reduce federal power and eliminate or shrink many federal agencies, including the Department of Education. In Colorado, we have a chance to affect real change in our local school boards. If we want to preserve that opportunity, we must call a Convention of States.
