Indiana Becomes 5th State to Require Party Labels for School Board Candidates

On this episode: Indiana recently became the fifth state to require partisan school board elections, changing from the nonpartisan format used by over 90% of school boards nationwide. Under the new law, candidates must run with party labels, joining four other states that mandate partisan elections while 41 states continue to require nonpartisan races. The policy change reflects ongoing discussions about school board election formats that have gained attention since the pandemic. Supporters of partisan elections argue that party labels provide voters with additional information about candidates' perspectives, while those favoring nonpartisan elections contend that removing party labels allows focus on local education issues. The debate highlights different approaches to structuring local elections, with some states allowing districts to choose their format and others maintaining uniform requirements statewide.More on the national landscape: https://ballotpedia.org/Rules_governing_party_labels_in_school_board_elections  Check out Indiana’s new law: https://ballotpedia.org/Party_labels_in_Indiana_school_board_elections Complete a brief 5 minute survey to review the show and share some feedback: https://forms.gle/zPxYSog5civyvEKX6 Sign up for our Newsletters: https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia_Email_Updates Stream "On the Ballot" on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. If you have questions, comments, or love for BP, feel free to reach out at [email protected] or on X (formerly Twitter) @Ballotpedia.*On The Ballot is a conversational podcast featuring interviews with guests across the political spectrum. The views and opinions expressed by them are solely their own and are not representative of the views of the host or Ballotpedia as a whole.