Amendment 1 fails, school board elections to remain nonpartisan

File photo: Meeting of the Marion County Public School Board in Ocala on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

Amendment 1-Partisan School Board Elections:

Voters have chosen to deny Amendment 1 of the Florida State Constitution, keeping school board elections throughout the state nonpartisan.

Florida’s school board elections have been non-partisan since 1998, when voters passed an amendment to prohibit party labels for candidates.

Alabama, Connecticut, Louisiana and Pennsylvania all conduct partisan school board elections.

Amendment 1:

Proposing amendments to the State Constitution to require members of a district school board to be elected in a partisan election rather than a nonpartisan election and to specify that the amendment only applies to elections held on or after the November 2026 general election, However, partisan primary elections may occur before the 2026 general election for purposes of nominating political party candidates to that office for the placement on the 2026 general election ballot.

The next school board members up for reelection in 2026 are Eric Cummings and Sarah James. School Board Chair Nancy Thrower has already expressed that she does not plan to run for reelection at the end of her term, so her seat will be vacant and up for election.