Michigan State Board of Education election, 2024

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Michigan State Board of Education
Election details
	Filing deadline: —
	General: November 5, 2024; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Tom McMillin (R); Nikki Snyder (R)
How to vote
	Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Voting in Michigan
Ballotpedia analysis
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Michigan; executive elections
	University of Michigan Board of Regents (2 seats); Michigan State University Board of Trustees (2 seats); Wayne State University Board of Governors (2 seats); State Board of Education (2 seats)

Michigan 2024 elections

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Michigan held an election for two of eight seats on the Michigan State Board of Education on November 5, 2024.

Incumbent Nikki Snyder and incumbent Tom McMillin won election in the general election for Michigan State Board of Education.

In Michigan, political parties nominate candidates for some offices at their conventions instead of holding a primary. Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Supreme Court, and the boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the state Board of Education are nominated at conventions.^[1]

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Michigan State Board of Education on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nikki Snyder (R)	24.5	2,507,968
✔		Tom McMillin (R)	24.2	2,477,547
		Theodore Jones (D)	23.6	2,413,996
		Adam Zemke (D)	22.6	2,311,379
		Mary Anne Hering (Working Class Party)	2.3	234,584
		Scott Boman (L)	1.5	152,846
		Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.9	90,372
	Submit photo	Ted Gerrard (U.S. Taxpayers Party)	0.6	56,683

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,245,375
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

N. Jefferey Sparling (G)

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

Theodore Jones and Adam Zemke advanced from the Democratic convention for Michigan State Board of Education on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Theodore Jones (D)
✔		Adam Zemke (D)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican convention

Republican convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

Incumbent Tom McMillin and incumbent Nikki Snyder advanced from the Republican convention for Michigan State Board of Education on August 24, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Tom McMillin (R)
✔		Nikki Snyder (R)

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Green convention

Green convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

N. Jefferey Sparling advanced from the Green convention for Michigan State Board of Education on June 15, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		N. Jefferey Sparling (G)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

Scott Boman advanced from the Libertarian convention for Michigan State Board of Education on July 20, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Scott Boman (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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U.S. Taxpayers Party convention

U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

Ted Gerrard and Christine Schwartz advanced from the U.S. Taxpayers Party convention for Michigan State Board of Education on July 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Ted Gerrard (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
✔		Christine Schwartz (U.S. Taxpayers Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

Mary Anne Hering advanced from the Working Class Party convention for Michigan State Board of Education on June 23, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Mary Anne Hering (Working Class Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Tom McMillin

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I am a husband, a father of three daughters and grandfather of four grandchildren. I am a CPA. I have been a state representative (including member of the house education committee for six years and temp chair); a county commissioner, city councilman and mayor."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Local Control - education decisions should be made at the local level - preferably by a teacher and parent.

Parent satisfaction surveys, conducted by a third party, should be used as a key metric for schools.

Parents should have as many educational options as possible for their children. Every child learns differently and we need to stop making the Prussian model - the industrialized model, the only option.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan State Board of Education in 2024.

Theodore Jones

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I’m running for the Michigan State Board of Education because education is deeply personal to me. With experience in Detroit Public Schools and a doctorate in educational leadership from Michigan State University, I come from a family of educators. Education transformed my grandfather’s life, lifting our family out of poverty in one generation. Today, however, chronic disinvestment is eroding that opportunity for our students. I’m running to restore the power of education and address the issues that will improve both educational quality and outcomes for all students."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I will be a tireless advocate for BETTER EDUCATION FUNDING, working alongside parents, students, and educators to: - Attract and retain high-quality teachers, - Provide universal preschool for four-year-olds, - Offer better interventions for learning and mental health, - Ensure all students learn in adequately maintained school buildings, - Move toward a one-to-one student-to-computer ratio in classrooms.

ADDRESS COVID-19's IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT The pandemic has left our students with learning delays and social challenges. I will advocate for: - Funding for high-quality tutoring and intensive learning cohorts, - Increased wraparound services for social development and mental health support.

FIGHT FOR A STATE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO A HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION Michigan’s Constitution guarantees an education, but it doesn’t ensure it’s a high-quality one. I will lead a coalition to amend our Constitution, giving parents the power to demand a truly high-quality education for their children. Together, these initiatives will create better schools and better futures for all Michigan students.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan State Board of Education in 2024.

Adam Zemke

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Adam Zemke, and I am a small business owner, public servant and engineer. I have been working to improve public education for over a decade, including six years as a state Representative, and in both the private sector leading Ford Motor Company’s STEAM education investments, as well as building the transformational reform agenda for a coalition of business, education, labor and philanthropic leaders. I have served on half a dozen education non-profit boards or leadership teams, and consult on education policy issues in Michigan and across the country. When I was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, I worked across the aisle to create Michigan's STEM education network; MiSTEM, and on funding the many early literacy supports that educators and young people benefit from today. I helped create programs to fund GED testing through Michigan’s community colleges in order to reduce barriers to people pursuing post-secondary education. I did all of this as a member of the minority party that controlled zero branches of government. I have found that it’s actually quite possible for people who disagree on some things to still get good things done. I am running for the state Board of Education to provide the leadership that is necessary to build a world-class education system; one that will prepare all students for success, one that educators aspire to work in, and one that all parents can feel engaged with."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

We must build a vision for how we make all Michigan schools to be world-class, and establish a guarantee to students and their parents that our state and districts will provide this level of experience to all public school children. In a world-class Michigan system, all students would have access to college and trades pathways for two years of high school and our K-12 system would be set up to prepare students to be ready for this opportunity. There would be universal access to before and after school programs, and families would have access to universal early childhood programs from birth to age 5.

Michigan's system of public education includes over 800 local districts, 56 intermediate districts and two state departments. While it is important that the diversity and independence of such a large system be maintained, we should seek to align the structure to work cooperatively together to achieve the world-class vision I previously described. Further, we should Invest current and new funding that research says is necessary to pay for these opportunities, especially focusing on improving the culture and conditions for current and aspiring educators, as we are in the midst of a staff shortage.

I believe that we need to create a special focus on improving special education, and addressing concerns that parents are bringing forth. Parents, students and educators - seemingly everywhere - are experiencing problems with special education services. As one of the last “pre-Proposal A” funding streams, coupled with service mandates through the Individuals with Disabilities Act, special education deeply and inequitably impacts local districts. I believe that we must make improvements focused on improving parental advocacy as part of the IEP and 504 processes, creating much greater equity of services from community to community, and putting a special focus on recruiting and retaining special education educators.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan State Board of Education in 2024.

Scott Boman

Party: Libertarian Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "I’m a proud Detroiter, deeply rooted in the city where I’ve lived and worked for decades. My passion for education has shaped much of my career, with over thirty years of experience as a Physics, Math, and Astronomy professor at both Wayne County Community College District and Macomb Community College. I’ve also worked as a substitute teacher, gaining insight into the challenges faced by students and teachers alike across K-12 education. After graduating from Grosse Pointe South High School in 1980, I pursued a dual degree in Physics and Philosophy, with a minor in Mathematics, from Western Michigan University, followed by a Master’s in Physics. My journey continued with a Teaching Certificate and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Wayne State University. Along the way, I’ve earned additional certifications in areas like skydiving, SCUBA, and firearms training—always seeking to broaden my knowledge and skills. Beyond education, I’ve been an active leader and advocate in my community. I successfully petitioned for the creation of a Community Advisory Council in Detroit’s District 4 and have served as an elected member since 2020. My passion for civic engagement has also led me to serve on the Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals as the first at-large appointee. As a Board of Education member, I’ll work to decentralize education, promote choice, and advocate for policies that empower both students and educators."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

As a professional educator with over 25 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand the flaws in our education system. Elected twice to the Detroit District 4 Community Advisory Council, I’ve advocated for local voices. I believe Lansing’s top-down approach to education is failing. While I can’t change it overnight, I will fight for reform. I support letting parents keep the money they’d spend on public schools to choose private schools or homeschooling for their children. It's time to end state control and put education decisions back in the hands of parents.

Over-specialization leads to extinction—and our education system is no different. We need to break free from the top-down, one-size-fits-all approach that's driving it downhill. Central control has failed. I believe parents should keep the money they'd otherwise spend on public schools to choose private schools or homeschooling for their kids. It's a step toward real freedom. In an ideal world, politicians wouldn't meddle in education at all, and families wouldn't have their money taken by the government for that purpose. Let’s empower parents, not the state.

Over-standardization is holding us back. Let’s make schools laboratories of innovation, encouraging distance learning for all students—traditional and homeschoolers alike. Schools and families should control curriculum, not politicians. 2. Coercive funding must end. I’ll work with legislators to restore local and parental control. No one should pay for education they don’t use. 3. Safety matters. "Gun-Free Zones" attract threats. Let’s allow law-abiding citizens who can carry elsewhere to protect our schools, too. It’s time for real solutions, not empty rules.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Michigan State Board of Education in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Michigan

Election information in Michigan: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 21, 2024
Online: Oct. 21, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2024
Online: Nov. 1, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 5, 2024
By mail: Received by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 26, 2024 to Nov. 3, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (EST/CST)

Past elections

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.