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Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Oregon
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| Oregon overview: • Election dates: Off cycle |
| Key policies: • Election dates and timing • Party labels on the ballot |
| Key terms • On-cycle elections • Off-cycle elections • Off-year elections • Off-date elections • Party labels • Partisan elections • Nonpartisan elections |
School board general elections in Oregon are held on the Third Tuesday in May every two years in odd-numbered years.
See law:
Oregon Statutes Chapters 255 and 332
There were 196 public school districts in Oregon with a total of 1,129 school board member seats as of 2023. Those school districts operated a total of 1,245 schools serving 581,512 students.
You will find the following information on this page:
- the timing and frequency of school board elections
- candidate filing deadlines
- the number of school board members
- the length of school board terms
- the way in which elections for different board seats are staggered
- how Oregon compares to other states
- when new board members officially take office.
Across the country, there are 13,024 public school districts governed by a total of about 82,600 board members. Most school board members are elected directly by voters, while a small number of districts have appointed school board members or a combination of appointed and elected school board members.
The timing of elections for school board members varies widely across states and even across districts in the same state in some cases. In 14 states, most school board elections are held on-cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years. Most school board elections in the other states are held off-cycle. This includes off-date elections—for example, elections held in the spring or summer—and off-year elections held in odd-numbered years.
On-cycle local elections have higher voter turnout than off-cycle local elections.
The information in this page was last updated in 2023. Please email editor@ballotpedia.org with any updates, corrections, exceptions, or improvements.
Election dates and frequency
School board general elections in Oregon are held on the Third Tuesday in May every two years in odd-numbered years.
See law:
Oregon Statutes Chapters 255 and 332
Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state
Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.
- Filing deadline date: March 18, 2027
- General election date: May 18, 2027
Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates
The deadline for school board candidates to file nominating petitions and declarations of candidacy is 61 days before the May general election in odd-numbered years. This means the school board candidate filing deadline is in mid-March in odd-numbered years. The filing window is 40 days long.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.235
School board candidates cannot file nominating petitions and declarations of candidacy until 40 days before the filing deadline. The filing deadline is 61 days before the May general election, which means the window for candidates to file opens 101 days before the May general election in early February in odd-numbered years.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.235
The term of school board members officially expires on June 30 following the election of their replacements, which means the term of newly elected school board members officially begins on July 1 following their election to office.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.138
Election system
Types of elections
School board members in Oregon are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.335
Party labels on the ballot
School board elections in Oregon are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. Statute governing nonpartisan elections governs the election procedures for school district board member elections and prohibits the inclusion of any information or designations on the ballot other than the names of the candidates.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 255.335
What it takes to win an election
The school board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the nonpartisan general election are elected to office.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.124
Number, terms, and types of school board seats
Number of board members
School district boards have either five or seven members. Districts with populations of fewer than 300,000 can have either five board members or seven board members. Districts with populations of greater than 300,000 must have seven board members. As of 2022, 67 districts (39%) had seven board members, and 106 (61%) had five board members. One district, Sweet Home School District 55, had nine board members because of a state law requiring representation of each independent school district on the board of a consolidated school district. Sweet Home School District was consolidated from a large enough number of independent school districts that the representation requirement dictates nine board members instead of seven members.
See law: Oregon Statutes Sections 332.011 and 332.015
Board member term lengths
School board members in Oregon have four-year terms.
See law: Oregon Statutes Section 332.018
School board member election staggering
Oregon Statute states that each district must hold a school board election every two years to elect board members to four-year terms. Most districts elect as close to half of their board members as possible every two years.
See law: Oregon Statute Section 255.335
Representation: elections at-large or by sub-districts
School board members in Oregon are elected by voters at large, by voters from zones (sub-districts), or through a combination of the two. Nominating petitions for school board candidates can also contain signatures from the district at large, from voters within sub-districts, or through a combination of the two. School board seats can be nominated from zones but elected at large. School board members are nominated and elected according to position numbers for both at-large seats and by-sub-district seats. School board members are elected at large by default. Zones (sub-districts) for nominating petitions can be established through school board resolution or petition and voter approval processes. Once sub-districts for nominating petitions are established, the school board can also vote to establish that positions nominated by voters from sub-districts must also be elected by voters from those sub-districts.
See law: Oregon Statutes Chapter 332
How does Oregon compare to other states?
Across the country, there are 13,187 public school districts governed by a total of 83,183 school board members. They are elected directly by voters except for a small handful of exceptions who are appointed.
The analysis below is based on state laws governing school board elections and some researched common practices. In some states, the state law mandates a specific date. In others, the laws allow districts to choose their own election date from a range or a list of allowed dates or through charter provisions.
- 25 states have school board elections that are mostly held off cycle from federal elections. This includes both off-year and off-date elections.
- 10 of those states have school board elections that are mostly or at least commonly held on election dates in November of odd-numbered years.
- 16 of those states have school board elections mostly or at least commonly held on election dates that are not in November.
- 14 states have school board elections that are mostly held on cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years.
- 9 states either do not have state laws or overwhelmingly common practices that determine a specific school board election date or have varying school board election dates.
- Hawaii has a single, appointed school board.
See also
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School board election rules: |
School board election coverage: |
Terms and context: |
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Footnotes
