Lauren A.
Elections in the Time of COVID-19 Will Be Different
Absentee voting, candidate shortages among key issues for school board elections By Greg Abbott, MSBA Director of Communications and Marketing
Like everything, school board elections this year will be very different. This fall, 302 of 332 public school boards will be holding elections in November. Now that candidates have filed (or not enough have filed), here are some things for candidates, school election officials, and superintendents to watch as election results start coming in. Absentee voting will be huge For school board candidates, you may want to make sure you get your message out before September 18. On that date, absentee voting and early voting will be available. If absentee voting in the primary race is any indication, people will be voting by mail, absentee, and voting early in droves.
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SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2020
For this year’s primary, absentee ballots were 10 times higher than any other year. School districts should expect a high turnout because of the election year, and also a very high turnout from absentee/mail-in voting. If your district is one of the few conducting an operating levy or bond referendum in November, this also means you need to get your message out on why you need public support BEFORE September 18. Not enough people filed for a seat Every year, there will be school districts who call and worry about what happens on Election Day because only two people filed for a board seat and they have three positions open. This year, in some rural districts, this is a much more
MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION | JOURNAL
