Committees in both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the state Senate have advanced bills that would move school-board elections to the November ballot to dramatically increase voter participation.

House Bill 1151, by state Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, would shift school board elections to June and November from the current February and April election dates. The measure also standardizes term lengths for board members by making both elementary district boards and independent district boards four-year terms.

Senate Bill 6, by state Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, would move school board elections so they align with the general election in November.

“Aligning school board elections with legislative cycles makes sense for taxpayers and voters,” Banning said. “This change will increase turnout, save school districts millions, and ensure board members are elected in a way that better reflects community engagement.”

“My sole purpose in running this is to increase voter participation in these really, really important elections,” Seifried said.

There are approximately 2,500 school-board members elected across Oklahoma. Because of the obscure dates those elections are held, turnout is almost nonexistent in most cases.

Research done by Americans for Prosperity–Oklahoma found that turnout for the April 2, 2024, school-board elections in Oklahoma averaged 6 percent of voters. Only one school district in Oklahoma had voter turnout exceed 25 percent that day, and some districts reported less than 1 percent turnout.

In comparison, 64 percent of eligible Oklahoma voters participated in the November 2024 general election.

Even so, several lawmakers objected to moving school-board elections to dates that would increase public input.

“House Bill 1151 makes elections more confusing and voting lines longer,” said state Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City. “This bill doesn’t solve any real problems. It just causes more strife for the servants who serve on our boards and the students for which they go to work every day.”

“We have a low voter turnout,” Banning responded. “That is a real problem in the state of Oklahoma. We all need a voice.”

State Sen. Cari Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, suggested that a November race is “going to be turning out less educated voters” than spring school-board elections.

Seifried disagreed.

“Those 200 and 300 people aren’t the ones who foot the bill for our local schools,” Seifried said. “And so I want as many taxpayers (as possible) to be a part of the conversation.”

Many of the voters Hicks labeled as “less educated” about school issues are parents.

Research published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University in January 2020 reviewed data from four states, including Oklahoma. Among other things, researchers found that “the majority of voters in a typical school board election in each of the four states we examine is ‘unlikely’ to have children.”

State Sen. Dusty Deevers, an Elgin Republican who supported the bill, noted that critics also claim school-board races will get “overshadowed” if placed on a November general election ballot with higher profile races such as the president or governor, and asked Seifried to respond.

“They’re being overshadowed now and there’s nothing to compete with,” Seifried noted. “We’re getting 2 and 3 percent (turnout).”

State Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, said local citizens will not want to run for school board if forced to campaign more extensively.

“If we move these elections to November, it does two things,” Mann said. “One, it triples to quadruples the price to run your campaign, to get through and cut through the gubernatorial race, the presidential race, the statewide races. You’re going to have to raise more money to deliver your message. That’s going to scare candidates off. We’ll have fewer people run if it’s on a November ballot.”

Mann also predicted that school-board races would become partisan.

However, under the bill, school-board races would remain nonpartisan.

State Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, pushed back on the argument that school-board races would become insurmountably expensive if run in November.

Pugh noted those races occur in relatively small districts and face-to-face campaigning is the main method of politicking—which “cost zero dollars” to do.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking someone who wants to go serve—whether they’re paid or not—to go meet their neighbors at zero cost and say, ‘Hey, what do you care about? What’s your idea on what’s happening inside of a school? How can be better serve your family and your kids?’” Pugh said.

He said the process of serious campaigning produces better officeholders.

In contrast, under the current system, Pugh noted that “very, very small portions of the population” determine “what happens in the most important thing inside of our families, which is the education of our kids.”

When she ran for Senate, Seifried noted she was in a four-way primary, then a runoff, and then a general election.

“I had to knock thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of doors,” Seifried said.

She said those interactions have benefited her greatly as a representative of her district at the Oklahoma Capitol.

“Two- and three-hundred votes for these (school board) elections isn’t community support,” Seifried said. “I hear, ‘It will triple the cost and they won’t be able to deliver their message.’ My question is: Do you truly believe their message is being delivered now with 6 percent turnout? I don’t think so.”

HB 1151 passed the House Elections and Ethics Committee on a 5-1 vote that broke along party lines with Republicans in support and Dollens in opposition.

SB 6 passed the Senate Education Committee on a 7-5 vote. Republicans comprised all those voting in support of the bill. Two Republicans joined three Democrats in opposition.