FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — In Kentucky, there are some races on the ballot without Republican, Democrat, or any other partisan label. For the most part, that's the case for school board elections and city council elections.
But some Kentucky lawmakers want to change that by making the elections partisan. However, their efforts appear to be struggling in the legislature.
House Bill 50, one of the bills that would make the races partisan, was scheduled to be heard in the House Elections, Constitutional Amendments, and Intergovernmental Affairs committee on Thursday. But it was pulled before the committee started its meeting.
"We didn’t have the votes," said Rep. Kevin Bratcher, the committee's chairman.
There are only a few days left in the 2023 legislative session. So, does this mean the bill is dead? Bratcher said that's tough to say.
"You know how Frankfort is. Anything can happen tomorrow or five minutes from now," said Bratcher. "This committee is not going to hear that bill, as far as I know, the rest of the session. But you never know."
House Bill 50 is not the only bill that would make the local elections partisan. Senate Bill 50 also seeks to do the same. However, the path to passage appears challenging for both bills. As of Thursday morning, neither bill had any readings in their respective chambers.
Opponents of the bills are hopeful that means the bills won't go anywhere. The Kentucky School Boards Association is advocating against making school board elections partisan.
"We need less politics in education, not more," the group tweeted.
Governor Andy Beshear agrees with that.
"Making school board elections and local elections partisan is just about the worst idea I’ve ever heard," he said.
Gov. Beshear believes politics will make it more difficult to get things done on the local level.
"All this is going to do is make it harder for a city council to make decisions or for a school board to just do what’s best in the interest of the kids in their schools," he added. "Some things need to not be partisan."
But the bill's supporters disagree.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, the sponsor of SB 50, has previously said he believes voters deserve to know a candidate's political affiliation to help them make informed decisions.
"The best way to inform them is [to] tell a person what party you're a member of when you're on the ballot," Sen. Thayer said during an appearance on Kentucky Tonight late last year.
The Republican Party of Kentucky echoed that sentiment in a statement that attacked the governor's comments on keeping politics out of local elections.
“It's no surprise Governor Beshear wants to eliminate partisan labels from our elections and deprive voters of important information when choosing who is best to represent them,” RPK spokesman Sean Southard said.
