The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

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December 26, 2011

Letter: Voters lose with nonpartisan elections

The meeting of the Murray County Board of Education on Dec. 12 was an eye opener for many. Murray citizens spoke against the Board of Education requesting legislation to switch to nonpartisan elections.

The negatives presented were numerous, many of them brought to the public’s attention in recent letters to the editor by Ed Painter and Naomi Swanson. There are several facts that have not been shared with the public which affect all voters and students regardless of their partisan positions (or lack thereof).

• Nonpartisan elections are held concurrent with the primaries in July. In 2008, approximately 62 percent fewer voted in the primary than the general election held in November.

• The graduation rate in 2007 was 54.7 percent, the estimated rate for 2011 is 86.9 percent. This astounding progress was made under a partisan board. Is the argument that a nonpartisan board would do better?

• There were 20 candidates to fill the seven positions on the partisan Board of Education in Murray County. The nonpartisan Board of Education of Dalton had five candidates (all incumbents) for their five positions. Facts do not back up the claim that nonpartisan elections will attract higher quality candidates or even opponents to the incumbents. Nonpartisan elections are another incumbent protection scheme.

Partisan politics have not been an issue in the recent past, so why would the BOE inject them into the work of the board now? Political interest could account for the member that made the proposal, but even that lame excuse is not available to the Republicans on the board. They used official board time to make this proposal, but refuse to speak as to their motives at the meeting.  There is no record in the minutes addressing the reasons for their action. If they have any factual basis for the proposal it is time for them to “man up” and state them.

In the real world of our republic, nonpartisan elections translate to “Voters lose, politicians win.” You could also add students and bureaucrats to the equation.  

    

Linda Fowler

Director

Murray County Tea Party Patriots

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