Bill To List Political Affiliation Of School Board Candidates

It makes sense that a person's political and social ideology would affect how they vote and what policies they push for when they sit on any board. That would include the school board.

The question is often asked, "how did people with these points of view get elected in a town like this?" That answer, in some cases, is that the people did not know the affiliations of the candidate.

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Senate File 138, introduced by Sen. Affie Ellis, R-Cheyenne, would list the political affiliation of anyone running for local school board in the state of Wyoming.

There are still those who think that school board members should be unaffiliated and nonpartisan. But Affie argues that political and social ideology travels with a person into such an office no matter if the position is listed as nonpartisan.

Do people really leave their opinions at home just because the office is listed that way? Voters want to know the opinions of the person they are voting for, no matter what the office. Listing what party they are with helps the voter know how a school board candidate might vote, to some extent.

But listing the candidates affiliation does not solve everything. Many candidates for any office in Wyoming understand that, if they want to win, they will have to have an "R" by their name. So, they change their party just to have a better chance at winning.

This brings it back to the voter who's job is to actually vet each candidate, no matter what the office, before they vote for them.

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