If there’s one thing education doesn’t need more of, it’s partisan politics. But in an era when Oklahoma’s top education official is pushing school-sanctioned religion and fealty to President Trump, state lawmakers want to see local school board elections injected with that same kind of right-wing pandering. Senate Bill 6, which was advanced last month by the Senate, would move the general election for school board races from April to November. “Senate Bill 6 will increase the number of candidates running for these key positions and, more importantly, boost voter participation in these pivotal races,” said Sen. Ally Seifried, a Claremore Republican who authored the bill. But turnout likely isn’t the goal here. The goal is to push more school board candidates to shift their campaign platforms from reading scores and teacher pay to the kind of culture-war rhetoric that now dominates November elections. If lawmakers really wanted to reverse Oklahoma’s status as one of the worst voter-turnout states, it would be better to look at an open primary system, expanded early voting and other proven concepts.
