Hanover County, Virginia, Election of School Board Members Measure (November 2023)

Hanover County Election of School Board Members Measure
Election date November 7, 2023
Topic Local elections and campaigns
Status Defeated
Type Initiative

Hanover County Election of School Board Members Measure was on the ballot as an initiative in Hanover County on November 7, 2023. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported changing how school board members are selected, from appointment by the county board of supervisors to direct election by the voters.

A "no" vote opposed changing how school board members are selected.

A simple majority was required for the approval of Election of School Board Members Measure.

Overview

The ballot initiative would have changed how school board members are selected for Hanover County Public Schools (HCPS). Instead of being appointed by the county board, the initiative would have had the board members directly elected by the voters.

According to the Virginia School Boards Association, HCPS was one of 13 school divisions (of 132) where board members were appointed, rather than elected, as of 2023. The school division provided education for approximately 17,000 students in 26 schools.

Election results

Hanover County Election of School Board Members Measure
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		21,646	47.67%
No		23,766	52.33%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Election of School Board Members Measure was as follows:

“

Shall the method of selecting the school board be changed from appointment by the governing body to direct election by the voters?

”

Support

Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board led the campaign in support of the ballot initiative.

As of October 24, 2023, the campaign had received $10,305, and the three largest donors to the campaign were Galit Fraser ($336), Kim Catley ($312), and Kelly Merrill ($305).

Arguments

• Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board: "Why should you vote YES this November? • Make school board members accountable to citizens, rather than the one Board of Supervisors representative who appointed them. • Have more control over issues affecting Hanover students. • Increase public interest in education and local policy issues."
• Bob Holsworth, Founding Director of the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University: "The argument you make is that it’s a ‘parents’ matter’ situation. If you want parents to control what their children are going to attain in the school system, why not let them have a direct voice? This is a place where the ACLU and the NAACP and the ideology of ‘parents matter’ are in alignment."

Opposition

Keep Hanover Students First led the campaign in opposition to the ballot initiative.

As of October 24, 2023, the campaign had received $51,576, and the three largest donors to the campaign were the Hanover County Republican Party ($36,267), Robert W. Bailie ($3,000), and Jack Dyer ($2,500).

Arguments

• Jack Dyer, chairperson of the Hanover County Republican Committee: "We feel more comfortable with the school board being taken care of by the elected board of supervisors. We voted them in to serve the seven districts of Hanover County and we look to them to make those appointments."
• Keep Hanover Students First: "We believe that our school board seats should not be for sale to ANY special interest group, including the liberal teacher unions. Recently, a group backed by the Teacher Unions, supporters of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and those pushing transgender issues have attempted to takeover our School Board by forcing a ballot measure that would require School Board Members to be elected and focus on running for office, rather than on our children."

Background

School board book policy

On June 13, 2023, the Hanover County School Board voted 5-2 to pass a rule giving the board sole discretion to remove books from school libraries, as well as allow residents to submit challenges for books to be removed. The board also voted to remove 19 books from school libraries at the meeting.

The rule read, "The School Board at its sole discretion and by majority vote of the School Board may remove any and all materials of its choosing from the library, classroom, school building(s) and or division. Likewise, the School Board at its sole discretion and by majority vote of the School Board may include any and all materials of its choosing in the library, classroom, school building(s) and or division."

Appointed school boards in Virginia

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Virginia

As of 2023, Hanover County Public Schools was one of 13 school divisions (of 132) where board members were appointed, rather than elected. The following map shows school divisions that were appointed as of May 2023:

School districts that passed referendums for direct election of school board members in 2022

Voters in the following four school districts approved referendums during the November 2022 election to transition from an appointed board to an elected board:

• Alleghany County School District
• Covington City School District
• Lexington City School District
• Southhampton County School District

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Virginia

This measure was put on the ballot through a citizen-initiated petition drive. Supporters, organized as the Hanover Citizens for an Elected School Board, submitted around 12,000 signatures. The campaign reported that 9,101 were verified, exceeding the requirement of 8,536 valid signatures.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Virginia

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Virginia.

How to vote in Virginia

Poll times

In Virginia, all polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Virginia, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.

Registration can be completed online, in person at a local voter registration office, or by mail. Voters can also register at the following locations:

“	State or local government offices when applying or re-certifying for Aid to Dependent Children, Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid, or Rehabilitation Services Government offices in the state that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities Armed forces recruitment offices Public libraries Virginia Department of Elections office Department of Motor Vehicles offices Voter registration drives	”
—Virginia Department of Elections

The deadline to register is the 11th day before a primary or general election, but a voter may register to voter after this deadline through the state's same-day registration system and vote a provisional ballot.

Automatic registration

On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed SB219 into law, establishing automatic voter registration for individuals conducting business with the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Virginia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Virginia allows same-day voter registration in-person at local registrars' offices, satellite early voting sites during the early voting period, and at the precinct on Election Day.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Virginia, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Virginia does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who makes a materially false statement may be "sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail and/or fined up to $2,500."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

This page, run by the Virginia Department of elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

According to the Department of Elections website, "All voters casting a ballot in-person will be asked to show one form of identification. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification may instead sign a statement, subject to felony penalties, that they are the named registered voter who they claim to be. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification or sign this statement must vote a provisional ballot."

The following documents were considered acceptable identification for voting as of May 2023:

• Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued ID card
• Valid employee ID, containing a photo, issued by the voter's employer in ordinary course of business
• U.S. military ID
• Valid student ID, containing a photo, issued by any public or private school college, or university
• Valid student ID issued by a public or private school high school, college, or university in Virginia (with or without a photo)
• Valid U.S. passport or passport card
• ID card issued by the federal government or a Virginia state or local authority.
• Voter ID card issued by the department of elections
• Voter confirmation documents
• Valid tribal enrollment or ID issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized in Virginia
• Government nursing home resident ID
• Any other current government document containing the name and address of the voter
• Signed ID Confirmation Statement

See also

Local measures

• Local measures in 2023
• Local elections and campaigns on the ballot

• Hanover County measures

Virginia

• Virginia 2023 local measures
• Local ballot measures, Virginia
• Hanover County, Virginia

News and analysis

• State and local preemption conflicts
• Measures advancing national agendas

External links

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