Partisan school board bill advances in House committee
CHEYENNE – A measure to make Wyoming's school board elections partisan is moving through the House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, the House Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee voted 8-1 to approve Senate File 98, 'School board trustees-party affiliation.' Bill sponsor Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, told the committee that the measure would require the political party affiliation of a candidate for school board be printed on a general election ballot, effective July 1.
'Clear voter alignment (through) partisan labels helps voters quickly identify candidates whose values and priorities align with their own,' Olsen told the committee.
Further, Olsen said he believes the measure would increase voter engagement.
'Partisan elections are more likely to increase voter turnout, because we tap into political parties' efforts to get out the vote,' Olsen said.
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray approached the committee to say that he stands 'fully in support of Senate File 98.' Under current state law, school board trustees are on the nonpartisan ballot, requiring that no political party affiliations be listed. He did express concern that 'timing of political party affiliation' be considered.
In 2024, there were four to seven days where allowed party changes overlapped with the filing period for school board positions.
'I'm a little bit worried. I don't think the statute is clear,' Gray said. 'Somebody (could switch) after the primary, and then they can file for the school board in that new affiliation.'
Gray said that he would prefer the bill include language that a candidate must file affiliated with the party they belonged to in May of an election year.
Civics 307 blogger Gail Symons told the committee, though, that when people change party affiliation, they stay – although in past years, lawmakers have debated crossover voting, discussing ways people might 'play the game' to get elected under a party to which they don't belong, she said.
'Using actual voter data … they don't move over and go back,' she said.
The committee did not consider an amendment regarding filing date, but Gray said he would continue working on "proposed language" for a committee of the whole amendment on the House floor.
Several members of the public spoke against the bill, saying it was unnecessary. Jenny DeSarro, executive director of the Equality State Policy Center, as well as Brian Farmer, executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association, urged the committee to leave school board elections nonpartisan, much as they did when the bill passed through the Senate.
Brian Farmer
Brian Farmer, Wyoming School Boards Association executive director
'If you take a look at any school board agenda, the vast majority of what they're dealing with doesn't matter whether the person is Republican or Democrat,' Farmer said.
Mary Lankford with the County Clerks Association of Wyoming said that she did not have a policy stand on the bill but that she would propose some administrative amendments: The first would be to include language for party affiliation on filing applications, as well as a correction to the ordered list of partisan offices on a ballot.
Rep. Nina Webber, R-Cody, made a motion to amend the bill as proposed by Lankford. The amended bill passed in a 8-1, with only Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, voting against it.
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