Election Recap: 2022
Executive Summary
We learned a lot on Election Day, and all of it was encouraging as we head into the 2023 cycle where only school board races will be on the ballot in most states.
Across the country, there are clearly more people in favor of protecting what works in public schools: equity-based education that addresses the needs of the whole child.
Moms for Liberty has a base that developed largely from tapping into the anger of a minority of suburban women, concentrated in a few places. The results prove what we always suspected: most parents aren’t interested in playing political games in our schools.
We expected that voter education would be necessary to move the needle on school board races, and we know that it works. We will work to scale that effort in 2023 and 2024.
Extremists and politicians are the enemy. Ron DeSantis’ extremist education agenda prevailed in Florida only. But his playbook didn’t work anywhere else. When we call out the political games, people listen, people vote.
Lessons
Direct voter contact: A clear lane in 2023 presents lots of opportunities for direct voter contact.
Voters wanted to hear about school board races because it’s so difficult to find information on candidates.
States with big top of ticket campaigns had a higher percentage of negative replies to texts due to fatigue. However, Virginia were not just positive, they often engaged in genuine conversation.
Information is King: There is an appetite and need for comprehensive voter education content around school boards.
Our voter guide was a good start, but more is possible, including more detail on candidates, a vote plan, and information on current school boards and members
Messaging: Emphasizing the importance and impact of school boards weakens extremist candidates. Most people don’t know what a school board does, and the voters who did turn out against radical candidates understood the stakes on a tangible level. School board elections are largely nonpartisan, so they aren’t voting straight ticket.
Slates are Effective in Defining the Election: Usually the far right candidates ran as slates with generic names like Students First, Parents for Schools, One Family, etc. It will take time to determine if that was a successful campaign move, but the existence of slates helped the local press turn school board races into stories.
In nonpartisan elections, unity tickets tend to get more attention because they maximizes canvassing and creates the illusion of a party line.