Conflicts in school board elections about sex and gender in schools, 2021-2023
| Conflicts in School Board Elections |
 |
Regular elections • Recall elections |
Race in education • Coronavirus • Sex and gender |
| See also: Endorsements in school board elections |
The data included below reflects research conducted between August 2021 and February 2023.
Between 2021 and 2023, school board elections nationwide began drawing increased attention from voters and the media. According to the Associated Press' Stephen Groves, "Local school boards around the country are increasingly becoming cauldrons of anger and political division ... School board elections that were once uncontested have drawn slates of candidates galvanized by one issue or another."[1]
This page focuses on elections where candidates took a stance on sex and gender in schools, including sexual education curricula and learning materials as well as the usage of gender-specific facilities (restrooms, locker rooms, etc.). Additional issues identified through this project include race in education/critical race theory and responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Overall information can be found here.
Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia had identified 1,463 school board elections where candidates took a stance on sex and gender in schools. Click here to learn more about Ballotpedia's methodology. In addition, this page provides a list of all candidates participating in the identified elections.
Districts
Between 2021 and 2023, Ballotpedia had identified 1,463 school board elections where candidates took a stance on sex and gender in schools, including sexual education curricula and learning materials as well as the usage of gender-specific facilities (restrooms, locker rooms, etc.).
Ballotpedia identified the largest number of conflicts over this topic in California (290), followed by Michigan (130), New Jersey (127), Washington (76), and Wisconsin (73).
The spreadsheet below lists all school district elections identified by Ballotpedia where candidates took a stance on race in education/critical race theory. Use the tabs at the bottom of the sheet to view the candidates running in these elections. Click here to read more about Ballotpedia's methodology.
Methodology
Timeline
This project began in August 2021 and ended in February 2023.
Districts were added retroactively in 2021 if a conflict was identified in an election that took place before the project start date, but most research focused on active campaigns at that time. This research was conducted continuously throughout 2022. In 2023, districts were added if any conflicts were identified before the project's end date, but any conflicts that arose after that time are not included here.
District selection
Ballotpedia identifies school district elections through a daily news checking process. If you would like to suggest a topic for inclusion, please email us.
A district is included if any of the following are true:
- A local news article explicitly says one of the selected issues is playing a role in the election;
- Candidates announce their stances on one of the selected issues in a candidate questionnaire or other medium including social media;
- One of the selected issues is mentioned in a debate, candidate forum, or other question-and-answer setting featuring candidates;
- An organization endorses a candidate citing or because of his or her stance on one of the selected issues; or
- A candidate is involved with local advocacy regarding any of the selected issues, which has, itself, received local news coverage.
Districts are added based on the election date, meaning any elections taking place in a school district on a particular date will be included as a single entry on the spreadsheet above. If a district holds two elections in a given year, the district will be listed twice.
If you would like to suggest a school district for inclusion, please email us.
Candidate inclusion
Once a district has been included, Ballotpedia collects information on all candidates filed to run in the given election at the time the district is added. Contact information is identified and added through internet searches. Ballotpedia aims to include only campaign contact information however if a candidate references his or her personal email address, website, or social media profiles as a point of contact for his or her campaign, those will be included.
School district elections may be partisan, meaning candidates appear on the ballot with a party label, or nonpartisan, meaning only candidates' names appear on the ballot. In nonpartisan races, parties may still endorse particular candidates however Ballotpedia is not conducting party affiliation research for nonpartisan candidates. A party label is included only if the candidates are listed on official election materials as being affiliated with that party.
If a district is included before the candidate filing deadline, Ballotpedia will return to check for new candidates to add or candidates who withdrew. Once added to the sheet above, Ballotpedia does not plan to systematically remove candidates who dropped out of the election after the filing deadline. If you are aware of any candidates who should be removed, please email us.
Ballotpedia halted candidate inclusion after Nov. 8, 2022. The district name and information are included for any conflicts identified after that time, but candidate information is not.
See also
- Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2023
- School Boards and School Board Elections
- School board elections, 2021
- School board elections, 2022
- School board elections, 2023
Footnotes
