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VOTE NO ON ONE.
AMENDMENT ONE HELPS NO ONE.
Amendment 1 could prevent 30% of Florida's voters (approx. 4 million people) from voting in school board elections. Amendment 1 would increase the power Florida's political parties, and their agendas, have over our school's budgets and curriculum.
Amendment 1 makes it harder for parents to hold school boards accountable, decreases local power, and increases political partisanship.
Amendment 1 helps NO ONE, so we're saying NO on ONE.
What is Amendment 1?
In 2024, Florida’s voters will have the opportunity to vote on six constitutional amendments, the first of which was proposed not by citizens, but by Florida’s legislature.
Amendment 1, or the partisan school board elections amendment, would change Florida's Constitution and require school board candidates to run in a partisan election. As of 2024, Florida is one of 41 states with state laws providing for nonpartisan school board elections. This amendment would seek to change that and make us one of 10 states that have partisan school board elections.
Why NO on 1?
1. Democracy
Amendment 1 could prevent 30% of Florida’s registered voters (approx. 4 million people) from voting in school board elections. NPA (No Party Affiliation) parents deserve a voice in their children’s education, and they shouldn’t be forced to pick a political side for that right.
2. Students Before Politics
If school board candidates have to run with a political party, they need that party's support to win their elections. School board candidates could be pressured to put their party’s political agenda before the needs of their students in order to maintain support for their campaign. This could increase political partisanship in our schools, at a time when we need less, at the expense of student safety and success.
3. Accountability
and Transparency
In districts where one party is dominant, and elections would be decided in the primary, school board candidates could get away with ignoring parents who don’t share a party affiliation with them. In non-partisan school board elections, school board members have equal reason to listen to all parents and have more incentive to listen and collaborate. If school board races become partisan, the voice of any parent who is not a member of the dominant political party could be erased, and school board members could become accountable only to their party.
Non-partisan elections keep decision-making local, and away from party leadership, ensuring schools reflect community values and address the unique needs of their students.
4. Keep It Local
5. Qualified Candidates
Political parties may support candidates that are willing to push their party’s agenda forward, without concern for candidates’ educational experience or professional background. Our students deserve qualified educational professionals, not people looking to jumpstart their political careers. Without party labels, voters can focus on candidates' qualifications, experience, and vision for education, and vote based on merit.
VOTE NO ON ONE.
AMENDMENT ONE HELPS NO ONE.
Paid political advertisement paid for by the Social Equity Through Education Alliance, 935 N. Beneva Rd. Suite 609, #103, Sarasota, FL 34232, independently of any candidate or committee.