Help Move School Board Elections to November
The Missouri River GOP urges the state government to move school board elections in St. Louis County from April to November and adjust the terms of office seekers to align with state and national voting patterns.
Your voice matters. Contact your state representatives today and tell them you support moving school board elections to November.
Use our VoterVoice tool to easily contact your representatives! When action is needed, Missouri River GOP will send an email with a link to the VoterVoice tool. Simply enter your address, and you will be automatically matched with your state representative or senator. Then, all you need to do is click a button to send your message.
Every April in Missouri, we make crucial decisions about who will shape our children's education. Yet, most of these important elections take place when almost no one is paying attention. The numbers paint a discouraging picture of democracy in our school systems.
When voter turnout plummets, who really decides the future of our schools?
In St. Louis County, the difference is staggering. Consider the numbers:
In the Hazelwood School District, 71% of registered voters participate in November general elections. But in school board elections? Only 10%. That’s a 7-to-1 difference in voter participation.
This pattern repeats across the county. Valley Park sees a shocking 9-to-1 difference. Affton has a 6-to-1 gap. Even in our highest-participating districts, like Lindbergh and Kirkwood, voter turnout for school board elections is three times lower than in November elections.
Below is the table of each district with the actual numbers. You can click on the graphic and download it as a PDF file.
St Louis County November Voter Turnout by School District Compared to Most Recent April School Board Election Voter Turnout -Raw Numbers, Percentages and Ratio
The current April school board elections create unnecessary barriers to participation and contribute to voter suppression. Working parents, hourly employees, and busy community members often struggle to find time for a standalone election that many people aren’t even aware is happening.
The result? School board decisions do not truly reflect the will of the entire community. For example, public schools in St. Louis County promote the LGBTQ+ agenda and are not obligated to inform parents when their transgender child is socially transitioning at school. Additionally, nearly every school district in St. Louis County continues to implement DEI programs despite the illegality of DEI in public education.
There’s a simple solution being considered in Jefferson City: move school board elections to November, when voter participation is highest.
This isn't a partisan issue—it’s about ensuring that those who make decisions about our children's education are chosen by the broadest possible segment of the community.
Two bills can help solve this problem:
House Bill 539 and Senate Bill 485. Supporting these bills in the 2025 legislative session will:
✅ Increase voter turnout in school board elections
✅ Empower taxpayers over special interests
✅ Eliminate conflicts of interest between board members and school district employees
✅ Provide an opportunity for public school reform
Visit MissouriRiverGOP.org and go to the Campaigns & Events page to easily send a message to your state legislators. Together, we can ensure that the future of education in Missouri is decided by all of us—not just a select few.
Our schools belong to the entire community. It’s time our elections reflected that reality. Support the move to November school board elections—because our children's education is too important to be decided by just a handful of voters.