Running for school board is a bit of different animal than running for other local offices. Campaign spending is generally less, and the time for campaigning is generally limited to a few weeks before election day.
Year after year, education is ranked as a top voter concern, yet voter turnout rates for school board elections remain low. One major reason for the low level of voter turnout is that school elections often occur on dates and locations that differ from the general elections. Some advocates have suggested combining school board and school budget elections with other local and state election that generally have a higher turnout rate.
Low voter turnout in school board elections often allows a motivated minority to influence the educational decisions of its public schools.
Because of the unique situation of these elections, the winner often becomes the person who can get more people to the polls. That requres getting your supporters motivated and informed enough to go out on that odd day and actually cast a vote.
A more narrow voter target is necessary in school board campaigns. Unless you have the money to burn, targeting an entire voter population is probably a waste of money. Targeting previous voters and specific groups with complementary agendas is a good strategy. If you can reach out to those groups, your chances of success will increase. Following up with a strong GOTV (Get Out The Vote) effort is just as important.
We also recommend a campaign website as a way to publicly state your platform, inform your supporters of the issues, and as a tool to help get them to the polls. We’ve helped several school board candidates win their local elections. We can help you, too!
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Tags: general campaign tips, GOTV, local campaigns, Voting