Action Alert:
We know, we’re posting AGAIN, and we’re sorry about that, but as we’ve been paying attention to charters, vouchers, etc., and while broadband, gay discrimination and spanking bills have been in the news, another set of bills has been quietly making their way through the legislature. This post addresses Senate Bill 211 (major changes in school board and other municipal elections). PLEASE CONTACT COMMITTEE MEMBERS LISTED BELOW.
This week, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee began working SB 211, which would move local spring elections to coincide with November general elections in even-numbered years.
The committee did not complete work on the bill Wednesday, but did adopt several major amendments. The first amendment adopted would keep local elections, including school board elections, non-partisan (at least for now). However, a second amendment would require party precinct committee members to choose replacements for local elected officials in the event of a vacancy, rather than the current practices of having other members of the governing board fill the vacancy. In other words, although a candidate would not run identified as a member of a political party, local leaders from the party the individual was registered with would choose a replacement. If the individual vacating the position was not affiliated with any party, precinct officials from both parties would vote. Finally, the committee adopted an amendment to eliminate the option of voting plan “C” for local boards of education. Under this option, if a school district uses board member districts (rather than having all members run at large), only voters in that board district vote for the board member representing that district in both the primary and general elections. An amendment offered by Kay Wolf to change elections to odd-numbered years to at least minimize the risk that school board and other small municipal elections would not be drowned in the sea of other races was defeated 5-4.
Here are the committee contacts: mitch.holmes@senate.ks.gov, michael.odonnell@senate.ks.gov, oletha.faust-goudeau@senate.ks.gov, tom.arpke@senate.ks.gov, steve.fitzgerald@senate.ks.gov, david.haley@senate.ks.gov, garrett.love@senate.ks.gov, greg.smith@senate.ks.gov, kay.wolf@senate.ks.gov
We know, we’re posting AGAIN, and we’re sorry about that, but as we’ve been paying attention to charters, vouchers, etc., and while broadband, gay discrimination and spanking bills have been in the news, another set of bills has been quietly making their way through the legislature. This post addresses Senate Bill 211 (major changes in school board and other municipal elections). PLEASE CONTACT COMMITTEE MEMBERS LISTED BELOW.
This week, the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee began working SB 211, which would move local spring elections to coincide with November general elections in even-numbered years.
The committee did not complete work on the bill Wednesday, but did adopt several major amendments. The first amendment adopted would keep local elections, including school board elections, non-partisan (at least for now). However, a second amendment would require party precinct committee members to choose replacements for local elected officials in the event of a vacancy, rather than the current practices of having other members of the governing board fill the vacancy. In other words, although a candidate would not run identified as a member of a political party, local leaders from the party the individual was registered with would choose a replacement. If the individual vacating the position was not affiliated with any party, precinct officials from both parties would vote. Finally, the committee adopted an amendment to eliminate the option of voting plan “C” for local boards of education. Under this option, if a school district uses board member districts (rather than having all members run at large), only voters in that board district vote for the board member representing that district in both the primary and general elections. An amendment offered by Kay Wolf to change elections to odd-numbered years to at least minimize the risk that school board and other small municipal elections would not be drowned in the sea of other races was defeated 5-4.
Here are the committee contacts: mitch.holmes@senate.ks.gov, michael.odonnell@senate.ks.gov, oletha.faust-goudeau@senate.ks.gov, tom.arpke@senate.ks.gov, steve.fitzgerald@senate.ks.gov, david.haley@senate.ks.gov, garrett.love@senate.ks.gov, greg.smith@senate.ks.gov, kay.wolf@senate.ks.gov
Also see this article:http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/aad5739d2b7f4065882aa4e7ce9665b7/KS-XGR–Local-Elections
