Argument for
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1. School districts will save the cost of expensive all-mail ballots. The only statewide election that a school district may participate in is the regular local election held in November of odd-numbered years at which nonpartisan local governing bodies, including many municipalities, hold their elections.
That means that school districts must pay for a special mail ballot election if they need to get approval on a bond or mill levy question at any other time during the two-year election cycle. School districts use school funding to pay for the required, expensive all-mail ballots.
A special election can cost between $125,000 to $250,000, depending on the size of the district and the number of issues. Constitutional Amendment 2 would allow school districts the option of placing a bond or mill levy question on the general election ballot in November of even-numbered years, just as local governments are allowed to do under current law, saving the cost of all-mail ballots. 2.
More participation in school elections. Allowing school districts to place a bond or mill levy question on a partisan general election ballot would increase the number of voters who participate in school elections, given that participation rates for statewide general elections tend to be much higher than participation rates for statewide local elections. 3.
The amendment may increase school districts' participation in the state's public school capital outlay system and result in more new or renovated schools for New Mexico students. The public school capital outlay system was designed to ensure the uniformity and sufficiency of all public school facilities in the state.
New school buildings, building renovations and other capital projects that are authorized through this system are funded by the state and school districts through an equitable cost-sharing model.
School districts generally cover their share of project costs through bonding and property taxes approved by voters; however, some school districts are unable to get bonding or property taxes approved and cannot afford their share of project costs.
Because partisan elections have higher and more diverse voter turnout than nonpartisan or special elections, school district ballot questions for bonding or property taxes may be more likely to pass, potentially resulting in increased school district participation in the public school capital outlay system and more new or renovated school buildings for New Mexico students. 4.
School districts maintain the choice of holding a special election. School districts are currently the only public bodies that are prohibited from holding elections at the same time as partisan elections.
Constitutional Amendment 2 does not require that school elections occur simultaneously with partisan elections; rather, it provides the option and flexibility for school districts to decide the timing of their elections to better suit their needs.
School districts may still choose to hold special bond elections, but that will no longer be their only option to have bond or mill levy questions on the ballot outside of the biennial statewide local election. 5. Dilutes the outsized influence of education interest groups in deciding school governance.
Off-cycle school board elections systematically give an advantage to whichever group is best organized and most motivated to turn out the vote. Education interest groups have leveraged this advantage to elect school board members favorable to their priorities.
Folding school elections into the November general election, where voter turnout routinely triples or quadruples that of standalone school elections, would ensure that outcomes reflect the preferences of the full electorate, including parents, taxpayers and other community members who often sit out low-profile, off-cycle contests.
From nmlegis.gov, the official voter guide.