As we approach November’s elections, it is disappointing voters will have a fewer choices to select from in Chicago’s first elected school board race. While Chicago voters will historically be given the first opportunity to elect school board members, the optimism and hope for more democracy in education public policy has taken a hit as many candidates that circulated petitions to be a voice on that school board unfortunately have been eliminated from the ballot.
As a civics teacher in Chicago Public Schools, I applaud and encourage all those who take time to get involved in our democratic process in any way, including through volunteering, educating and registering voters, raising awareness about important issues that affect us all and, in particular, getting directly involved by running as candidates.
Running for office is not easy. It takes time, sacrifice and courage, but it is a vital part of our democracy that provides choice in who represents our communities and values. This is why it was very disheartening to see that a number of the candidates for Chicago’s school board were thrown off the November ballot.
The bulk of the objections against the candidates involve challenges of the signatures. While some may make the case that these signatures are somehow invalid, the reality is that candidates likely worked arduously to collect a sizeable and comprehensive number of voter signatures and that thousands of voters were willing to sign for them. As someone who has gone through the signature objection process, there are times where petitions get nullified but should be given the benefit of the doubt. In short, voters signing candidate petitions are often in a rush and although they agree to helping the candidate get on the ballot, minor errors surface.
Eliminating candidates based on those inaccuracies is the opposite of empowering by democratic elections, which was the whole point of switching to an elected school board in the first place. Stopping a candidate from getting on the ballot based on bureaucratic limitations is not what most voters want, including parents of school-age children and taxpayers who prefer having more candidate choices.
Sadly, often the real reasons candidates get their petitions challenged is as part of a political strategy to reduce opponents or entangle them in defending their petitions instead of spending their time and resources actually running their campaign. Defending a petition challenge can be costly, and it can drain funds that would otherwise be used for voter contact and necessary issue advocacy.
Applications to vote by mail can already be requested for the election in Chicago, and some of the petition challenges can take weeks. This severely limits the amount of time candidates can actually spend interacting with voters and provides candidates who are not challenged an unfair advantage.
Our electoral system should empower participation. Kicking candidates off the ballot is a step backward in our movement toward the goal of letting Chicagoans choose their own school board. Hopefully, we will see attention placed on the merits of each person who remains on the ballot as the electoral process unfolds.
Candidates should focus on telling voters why they are qualified to make the crucial decisions that the board will have to make and how they will influence our education system.
Froylan Jimenez is a civics teacher at John Hancock College Prep High School in Chicago. He is a former member of the Local School Council Advisory Board that advises the Chicago Board of Education, and he is a Chicago Teachers Union member.
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