Elections in America have been based on the two main political parties, which are the Democrats and the Republicans. There are also independent parties that run for office; however they do not get as much exposure. When it comes to voting on these parties, generally majority of the votes cast have been from Caucasian males. In the most recent election between Trump and Clinton in 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that, the amount of non-white voters (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc.) was significantly less than those of whites by a large margin. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau supports, “Blacks made up 11.9% of voters in 2016, Latinos 9.2% of voters, and Asians 3.6%” (as cited by Krogstad and Lopez, 2017).
Why is the amount of Caucasian voters vastly superior to those of color and women? Some issues could lie in the voting process, such as being able to find reliable transportation to the voting poll area to cast a vote. Another factor could include individuals simply not caring about the election and thus choosing not to vote. One last factor, and primarily the main focus of this plan of action, is a lack of political involvement at a local level. At the local level, people of color and women have a chance to run for state or local office, whether it is a partisan or nonpartisan election.
What is the difference between partisan and nonpartisan? Partisan candidates run for office based on either Democrat or Republican ideals; whichever party that individual associates with. Nonpartisan candidates run office based on their own personal beliefs and ideals. Partisan type elections tend to be run on the national scale (such as the presidential election), while nonpartisan elections are run at a local level (school board, judges, etc.). In relation to nonpartisan elections, it is a great way for women and people of color to run for office and attempt to fix issues that they see in their communities.
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According to the National League of Cities (n.d.), “Cooperation between elected officials belonging to different parties is more likely.” This means that candidates, although potentially from different political parties, may agree on certain issues and create a plan to solve them. To run for nonpartisan office, some legislatures may need a candidate to provide a certain amount of signatures or pay a certain fee. However, a downside to running for office as a nonpartisan candidate is that majority of the time the candidate is using his or her own money and resources. Nonpartisan representatives typically do not have the financial backing that Democrats or Republicans do. (Add)
In nonpartisan elections, candidates are not endorsed by a political party or are not affiliated r with the Republican or the Democratic parties (Bonneau. Chris, 2013).Citizens have a difficult time to vote for candidates because they are used to relate to their parties. W. Bonneau and Damon M. Cann tested the impact of nonpartisan election conditions using both a laboratory experiment and data from cooperative Congressional Election Survey Nonpartisan elections were designed to balance control over elections from party machines and return it to voter. They are popular in local and municipal elections, where dozens of offices are elected, some of which have nonpartisan character to them (Bonneau. Chris, 2013).
Nonpartisan candidates are not as strong as those affiliated political parties when it comes to funding, and gaining the votes they need to win the ballots and their elected seats. They have to work twice as hard to be able to raise the funds to fund their campaigns and gain the confidence of the voters. In comparison to popular parties, the nonpartisan candidates seem to lose in their views which can affect the outcome of the race. Meanwhile, opponents of nonpartisan elections counter that providing the partisan affiliation of the candidates provides an important informational cue to the voters, and depriving voters of this information is making it more difficult for them to participate meaningfully in elections (Bonneau. Chris, 2013).
According to the data that both Chris Bonneau and Damon Cann have gathered; it was consistent that while the rates of partisan voting are lower in nonpartisan elections, the difference between partisan elections and nonpartisan elections is no statistically significant. One barrier about the nonpartisan candidates in Osceola County is that they have a hard time to raise funds, the majority of them will take their own personal loans to fund their campaigns. Some the candidates are running for Judges such as Heather Obrien, who took a personal $100,000.00 to run for office, according to the Campaign Treasurer’s Report at VoteOsceola.com (Current Candidates, 2018). Other candidates who are running is, Shel Hart. He is running for School Board District 1. He was able to raise $25000.00 in which all of his funding came from businesses.
In comparison to other candidates who are considered to be a minority such as Manuel Hernandez, who is also running for School Board District 1. He has not been able to raise any funds for his campaign except for small contributions of $590 and $339.20 according to the financial report that was available at voteosceola.com (Current Candidates, 2018). One more candidate who is also running for the School Board District 1 office is Teresa Castillo, who is also to be considered to be a minority not because she is Hispanic, but she is also a woman; which women running for political offices seem to struggle in comparison to men. Even though, she is well qualified, comes from a family of educators, and well connected to other teachers around this area. Ms. Teresa, also struggle to raise funds for her campaign as the biggest contribution was $1000.00 and other small contributions that ranged from $30.62 to $1000.00 at its highest (Current Candidates, 2018)
Activists for nonpartisan elections believe that nonpartisan elections will give a chance for a more diversified representation in local government roles. People who are pro-nonpartisan argue that there are qualified candidates, who because of their race, sex, or financial standing are not voted into office in partisan elections because of lack of financial resources and unfamiliarity. For example, in partisan elections, the Republican party can endorse and donate money to a candidate. Democrats are able to do the same thing, however most Republicans own gigantic businesses, where Democrats tend to be more middle class and have a lower income. This allows republicans to raise more money for their campaign, which allows them to advertise more.
With nonpartisan elections, neither party could promote or directly contribute to any of the candidates. However, businesses, which usually ran by republicans can still donate money to a certain candidate, that even though their political party is not disclosed, they are still affiliated with a party, which can affect candidates’ chances of winning. Promoters of nonpartisanship thinks this can provide an even playing field and open a door to other or even better qualified citizens who might not have had the opportunity.
More than half of the United States do not hold nonpartisan elections for State courts and more common County Boards of Education. Democrats are usually the advocates for nonpartisanship, while republicans believe in partisan elections, even at the local level. In the 2016 election in Osceola county, Florida, it included the most Latino political candidates. According to the online news source Orlando Latino, the article states, ‘Of the approximately 42 Hispanics who are running for office in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties, half are in Osceola County, which from 2005 to 2014 has seen an 82 percent jump in Hispanics, to reach about 92,000’ (). With examples of the positive effects of nonpartisan elections, like in Osceola county, it is catching the attention of other counties who currently have partisan elections at the local level.
In Carteret County, North Carolina, a county commissioner candidate Katie Tomberlin, is pushing for the county commissioners to allow voters to decide if they want to have partisan or nonpartisan elections for positions on the Board of Education. Tomberlin believes in a nonpartisan election and so did 83 percent of the voters in 1992, so it was implemented in 1994. Carteret county remained holding nonpartisan elections for members of the Board of Education until July 2017. Senator Sanderson from North Carolina wrote a bill requesting commissioners to change school board races back to partisan.
The North Carolina General Assembly approved the bill without having their citizens vote on the issue and were inconsiderate of what the people wanted. Katie Tomberlin and other politicians are arguing that citizens should decide if they want a nonpartisan or partisan election, not on a decision made by an all republican committee, especially with overwhelming support from voters. This has become such an important issue that an organization call Citizens Against Partisan Schools, whose mission is to receive enough petitions to be able to ask the people if they want partisan or nonpartisan elections to appoint school board members on the 2018 ballot. Another benefit Katie Tomberlin says nonpartisan elections will provide is more opportunities for people of color and women who usually have a disadvantage in partisan elections.
Nonpartisan elections give ethnic and female candidates a fighting chance of being elected. During the Cateret County Board of Educaton meeting in April 2018 Tomberlin states, ‘a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of policies that provide opportunities for the promotion and advancement of minority educators and administrators and that we encourage our leaders locally and in the General Assembly to facilitate the cooperation between these commissions and the county school boards’. Our local government should be a reflection of our communities and nonpartisan election make that achievable according to Katie and the Carteret County Democratic party organization.
Plan of action through organizations.Another organization (this one specifically for African Americans) is the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Joint Center Website (2015) claims their goal is to, “support newly-elected Black officials who were moving from civil rights activism into governance.” Their political ideas are also supported by other black organizations such as the Congressional Black Caucus and the African American Mayors Association. Organizations such as these can help build and support African Americans running for office. In 2017, the Joint Center website (2017) proposed through their political efforts there was a, “50% increase in top Black Senate staff.. (Pick one organization)
Ignite, was founded in 2010 and nonpartisan, is probably the most college related organization These students run chapters (across the us that) support political activism by encouraging others in their community to register to vote. Ignite also high school programs in California and Texas and gives high schools the opportunity to license curriculum to bring nonpartisan political activism to their school. Fellowships are offered to students, which are used to launch regional Ignite chapters and gain leadership skills (Spangler, 2017. It was not until1920 that women were allowed to vote, however they could run for political offices. Most female candidates lost elections by a landslide since women were not taken seriously in government, however a minuet few won without women voting. Even though these were rare cases it inspired and encouraged women to become more involved in politics.
In 1939 a chapter in Florida opened named the League of Women Voters of Florida which protected women’s voting rights and promote woman candidates. The government during this time and even now, is predominately male, which leave women at a disadvantage. What makes the League of Women Voters of Florida different than many other political support groups is that it is nonpartisan. The group is willing to help Republican, Democratic, and Independent women candidates running for office at national, state, and local levels. On the organization’s website, help others vote. The website has links and step by step directions explaining how to register to vote and provide a voter’s guide that explains the complicated and confusing ballot amendments that most voters do not understand, . The site also provides information on candidates and current politicians.
Not only does the League of Women use the internet as a tool for change, but they also are active in their communities. They create fundraising events to help candidates they support. Members of the group hold forums to promote female candidates and how citizens can take advantage of the right to vote. They also do a lot of footwork getting others to register to vote and explain the benefits of participating in elections. They want to change the policies about political financing and give all candidates a more equal platform when running for office. The League of Women Voters even offers citizens and candidates the opportunity to invite speakers from the organization to give speeches on the importance of voting (and running for office).
