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    • What to know about Amendment 1
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    What to know about Amendment 1

    Harry Posted on

    Amendment 1 would make Florida’s school board elections partisan.

    An oft-repeated statement among parents and community members is that politics has no place in society. schools.

    However, the Florida Constitution can be changed in this election school board races partisanThis means candidates must declare whether they are Democrats, Republicans or members of another political party.

    Amendment 1 It would reverse a decision made by Florida voters in 1998, when school board elections were held on a nonpartisan basis.

    In Florida, state constitutional amendments require the support of at least 60% of voters to be approved.

    Here’s what you need to know about the change.

    ➤ Who’s on the ballot? Palm Beach County, Florida races to find out 2024 general election

    What does Amendment 1 do?

    Amendment 1 is a legally cited constitutional amendment; This means the Florida Legislature created the amendment.

    The amendment would amend the Florida Constitution and require school board candidates to run in a partisan election. He manages Brevard County’s election website. Rather than running as nonpartisan candidates as they do now, candidates will be required to declare whether they are Republican, Democrat or affiliated with another party.

    If approved, the change will come into force in 2026.

    Partisan primaries may be held before the general election to nominate candidates for the general election. Primaries are generally open only to members of that party. In counties that lean heavily toward one party or another, that party’s primaries are often de facto general elections.

    Palm Beach County and Florida agencies’ positions on Amendment 1

    Opinions in Florida regarding Amendment 1 are mixed.

    League of Women Voters of the Space Coast and the state League of Women Voters oppose the change.

    “We believe school board elections should be non-partisan and all voters should be allowed to choose a candidate to be on the general election ballot,” said Judy DeAngelis-Small, first vice president of the Space Coast chapter.

    “Identifying candidates by party affiliation would close primaries and therefore limit full participation in the electoral process.”

    At the state level, Florida Education Association Florida’s largest professional school employee association and the largest labor union in the Southeast are recommending voters vote against Amendment 1.

    Other organizations opposing the change include the Florida NAACP, Florida For All, Common Cause Florida, Mi Familia en Acción and Florida National Organization for Women.

    Were Florida’s school board elections always impartial?

    School board elections have been partisan before, although Floridians voted nonpartisan in 1998, according to Politico.

    But school board elections are largely neutral in name only, according to Andrea Messina, chief executive officer of the Florida School Boards Association.

    “School boards and school board elections are a microcosm of local communities and the country,” Messina said. “As we have increased partisanship in our communities and our country, we have also seen increased partisanship in our local school boards.”

    Messina and the Florida School Boards Association do not take a position on Amendment 1.

    Harry
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