The last day to request an absentee ballot for the Boise School District’s Sept. 6 school board election is Friday, Aug. 26.
Altogether there are 13 candidates running for five different school board seats. Although there is a packed slate of candidates, the Boise School Board races could fly under the radar for many voters because the election takes place on a special election day separate from other city and local elections. The election is taking place Sept. 6 because the Boise School District’s charter established in 1881 predates statehood and stipulates Boise School Board elections are held on the first Tuesday in September in even numbered years.
The process for requesting an absentee ballot and voting are also slightly different compared to voting in local elections, primaries or the statewide general election.
Voters living within the district’s boundaries may vote in any and all Boise School Board races on the ballot. The candidates and races that will be decided Sept. 6 include:
- Race 1 (two six-year terms, vote for two candidates): Krista Hasler, Beth Oppenheimer, Dave Wagers and Greg Woodard.
- Race 2 (one four-year term, vote for one candidate): Andy Hawes, Neil Mercer and Matthew Shapiro.
- Race 3 (one two-year term, vote for one candidate): Nate Dean, Dawn King, Todd Kurowski and Elizabeth Langley.
- Race 4 (one two-year term, vote for one candidate): Shiva Rajbhandari and Steve Schmidt.
Each of the candidates’ applications and profiles is available to read on the Boise School District’s website. Reporters at Idaho Education News are also covering the election closely.
How to vote in the Sept. 6 Boise School Board election
To request an absentee ballot, voters residing within the Boise School District’s boundaries must specifically request an absentee ballot from the school district, which can be done with a form online, by Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline. The Boise School District is in charge of its own elections, so ballots cannot be requested from the state. Completed absentee ballots must be received by the Boise School District Services Center, 8169 W. Victory Road in Boise, by the time polls close at 8 p.m. Sept. 6.
There are also other options besides absentee voting. Early in-person voting started Monday at the Boise School District Services Center, and continues through Sept. 2.
Polls will also be open for in-person voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the school board election, Sept. 6. There are special polling locations for the school board election, and the locations are different than the polling locations for city, state and legislative elections.
There are 40 different Boise schools and the Boise School District Services Center serving as polling locations. Schools serving as voting locations include Adams Elementary School, Garfield Elementary School, Lowell Elementary School, Roosevelt Elementary School, Whitney Elementary School, East Junior High School, Les Bois Junior High School, South Junior High School, Boise High School, Borah High School, Capital High School, Timberline High School and more. A complete list of polling locations is available on the Boise School District’s website.
To be eligible to vote in the school board election, voters must be at least 18 years of age, have lived within the Boise School District boundaries for at least 30 days preceding the election and be registered to vote.
Winners of the Sept. 6 school board election will be sworn in during the Sept. 12 school board meeting.
The Boise School District is the second-largest school district in Idaho based on enrollment behind the neighboring West Ada School District.
