The Fayette County Board of Education is about to demonstrate a new lesson in civics.
To settle a lawsuit brought by the NAACP, the five-member board has agreed to switch from at-large elections to district voting for its members, something other entities and jurisdictions across the country have done for various reasons, not the least of which is complying with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
That legislation was passed by Congress when it became apparent in the early years of the civil rights movement that such things as poll taxes and literacy tests were being used to thwart minority voting.
Newly elected board chair Leonard Presberg endorsed the change as “the right thing to do” to help Fayette “move forward, together and united.” His colleagues Terri Smith and Janet Smola agreed with him; colleagues Bob Todd and Marion Key did not. No doubt there are some voters and powers-that-be who would prefer to keep the current arrangement, either out of habit, stubbornness or political interest.
But why the fuss, really?
District voting has practical and logical arguments to support it.
All five board members already are required to live in the district their posts represent. So if the candidates are chosen using a district system, it makes sense that they should be elected by people who likewise live in those districts. We already choose state legislators that way; it’s the ultimate in local representation.
The lawsuit that challenged the current at-large voting system -- for both the school board and the county commission, which has yet to resolve its portion -- notes that although black voters represent 19.5 percent of the county’s overall voting-age population, in District 5 they represent 46 percent.
The initial motivation for changing to district voting is to potentially facilitate better racial representation, but the same principle applies to other demographic differences within the county as well.
Those who live in the developed areas of Peachtree City and Fayetteville can have different perspectives and priorities than those in Brooks, Woolsey and other rural sections.
Studies related to district voting have shown that such election campaigns are less costly to the candidates, which might allow more candidates to vie for each post. Smith, Smola and Key all ran unopposed in 2008 and are up for re-election this November; each has served more than 10 years on the board already.
Another factor is familiarity; district voting allows voters to get to know the candidates more easily, and can also make the candidates more accountable once elected. Some opponents of district voting have cited the ability for all county residents to be able to recall elected officials, but if recalls are a common problem, perhaps candidate quality is the real issue, not the election process.
And for the economic-minded, research studies also suggest that officials elected via district voting are statistically less likely to raise taxes than those elected at large.
Regardless, change is coming. Why it’s taken 47 years is a matter for history and law classes to cover, but if the school system ultimately benefits, the county will have earned extra credit.
Jill Howard Church has lived in Fayette County for 14 years. Reach her at jillptcblog@aol.com.
