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WILMINGTON, DE — For the third year, the Delaware Voting Rights Coalition (DVRC) is organizing a public education campaign to inform Delaware voters about the upcoming 2024 School Board Elections on Tuesday, May 14. The campaign centers around the re-launch of the comprehensive voter guide, “How to Vote in Delaware’s School Board Elections,” and features information on the races, the available voting options, and links to all the resources voters may need for additional election information. Voters can access print and digital versions of the school board voter guide, available in both English and Spanish, and downloadable voter information graphics to share on social media
The comprehensive voter guide features information on where, when, and how to vote this May. It includes links for easy navigation to voter information websites like VoteDelaware.org, ACLU of Delaware’s voter education website; VotamosDE.org, the Votamos, We Vote Coalition’s Spanish-language voter education website; and Vote411.org/Delaware, the League of Women Voters’ voter education website. These sites feature candidate questionnaires and information on events like school board candidate forums, allowing voters to learn more about the candidates running in their school districts and their positions on key issues.
“Despite making up the largest body of elected officials in the country, school board elections receive little attention and suffer from extremely low voter turnout rates,” said Jill Itzkowitz of the League of Women Voters. During the 2023 school board election, no school board district in Delaware saw more than a 10% voter turnout, and most remained well below 5%. “Last year, a school board race was decided by just 4 votes. Our voter education efforts aim to equip Delawareans with the knowledge to talk to friends, family, and neighbors about why every vote matters in this year’s school board elections.”
Andrew Bernstein, Cozen Voting Rights Fellow at the ACLU of Delaware added, “That’s why voting in your school board election is one of the best ways to ensure that the needs and concerns of your community are heard. When we support candidates who are committed to the well-being of our children and schools, we're laying the foundation for a stronger, more prosperous community where everyone can succeed.
“Our communities and our democracy are strongest when every eligible voter can exercise their right to vote,” said Charito Calvachi-Mateyko, Immigrants’ Rights Organizer at the ACLU of Delaware and founder of the Votamos, We Vote Coalition, “Our Coalition dwells in the power of each vote to become the voice of the impoverished, voiceless communities, especially communities of color and people who do not speak English. Ensuring Spanish-language voter education materials and sites like VotamosDe.org are accessible is a critical step toward identifying and remedying barriers to the ballot box for historically marginalized communities.”
Similarly to last year, the 2024 school board voter guide also features key information about voter accessibility, an important legislative and voter education priority for DVRC. “One in four adults has a disability; yet people with disabilities have long faced some of the greatest barriers to participating in our elections,” said Joann Kingsley, Voting Rights Advocate with the Disabilities Law Program at Community Legal Aid Society, Inc (CLASI). “In every aspect of our Coalition’s voter education work, we must ensure that the voices, experiences, and needs of voters with disabilities are centered.”
With the school board elections one month away, DVRC encourages all voters to visit bit.ly/schoolboard-2024 and plan to vote on Tuesday, May 14. Vienna Cavazos of Generation Vote Sussex County says, “School board members hold great power when it comes to impacting our communities for generations to come. Whether you have kids in school now or not, the decisions made by school boards resonate beyond classrooms. Now is the time to start learning about the candidates, engaging in conversations, and most importantly, making your plan to vote.”
Learn more about the Delaware Voting Rights Coalition
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The updated DVRC voter guide is available online here: bit.ly/schoolboard-2024
The Delaware Voting Rights Coalition (DVRC) is Delaware's first statewide coalition of voting rights organizations and advocates. DVRC is focused on reforms that will improve access to voting, public education, and voter engagement.
