There was no governor’s race on Colorado’s ballot yesterday. And no amendment or state question about abortion. Nothing, really, that would garner national attention.
No, the battleground in Colorado seems to be local school boards. — so much so that there was out-of-state dark money coming in to influence those races.
In the past two years, national conservative parent groups have found focusing on school boards to be a valuable recruiting and organizing tool, and national money has followed.
You see, in recent years, in several Colorado school districts, conservatives (parents or otherwise) have decided their public schools are the place to promote far right ideas. When they gain a majority on a board, they begin banning books from their libraries, teaching revisionist history, enforcing religious tenets, and discriminating against LGBTQ students — in our public schools, not private or religious schools.
Extreme conservatives are now doing an end run around politicians and governments and aiming for the youngest and most impressionable in our society. Teach ’em while they’re young and impressionable, and they’ll be yours forever.
That’s what this year’s Colorado election was all about, even though a complex state tax question grabbed most of the attention. After all, school board elections are so mundane.
Those elections as well as mayoral and city council races are nonpartisan in Colorado. No ballot, sign, circular, advertisement, or report mentions a candidate’s political affiliation. Apparently someone, back in the Dark Ages, decided that political affiliation wasn’t relevant. And worse, I didn’t know any of the candidates by name. I’ve been too focused on state and national politics. So I did some internet research, identified the political party of each candidate, and voted for all the Democrats.
Straight-ticket is not the way I normally vote or advise anyone to vote, but in this day and age, when I know nothing about the candidates, their affiliations, or their records, it seemed safe to assume the Democrats would be more moderate than the Republicans.
Now, of course, the ballots have been counted and the results made known and … I don’t know the people who won. Dammit, I didn’t write down the names I voted for so I’ll have to go back to the internet and look them up again. Or maybe I’ll get lucky and local media will tell me.
Here’s hoping our school boards and local offices have not been taken over by right-wing extremists.
📚
I’m often reminded of this song, and I’ve featured it several times. Sad that it remains so relevant:
Always my source of your news, Colorado. It’s frightening what the conservative right wing are about – and efficiently about, it seems.
My fingers are firmly crosses for your wishes – always. We think the same, even though separated by thousands of kilometres and half the world.
Thx! I appreciate the support from whatever distance. Wish you could vote here.
Can’t help but wonder if we are at the beginning of a theocracy? Mixing politics and religion of course is nothing new. Medieval churches prospered for years by collecting indulgences and tithes, and then there was the inquisition to keep the criticism down. Those were the days, eh?
Obviously a lot of people are trying to make it a theocracy, or at least move it in that direction. It was reassuring to see states fighting back against the reimposition of religion’s take on life, pregnancy, etc.
(Hey, tell me who you are so you can stop being a mystery, okay? Use the Contact Form if you wish, and a screen name will work just fine.)
I live in the Cherry Creek school district and I did manage to figure out who the two sleeper MAGA candidates were and I absolutely voted against them. I am happy to report that both of them were not voted in. Yay!
This is so threatening and upsetting. My next-door neighbors are moving away so that they can get their children into a public school that more closely matches their values and beliefs. They are going to Florida, and I hope that they are happy there. The problem, which you pointed out, is that they want my tax dollars to fund a curtailed education that matches their religious beliefs and world view.
The candidate for mayor of Aurora led off his official statement about educational priorities with… With out a strong school system we will fail. Kind of a case in point. I didn’t vote for him.
I applaud your neighbors’ determination to do right by their kids, who only get to go around once on K-12 education. I hate to see them trade Colorado for Florida, but I wish them all the best. I don’t care what somebody’s religion is, but it doesn’t belong in public schools that serve everyone.
Hey, just found this. It’s encouraging. (I’m in the Adams 12 district.)
Marilyn, you do have a kind of rolling next-door-neighbours list, eh ? I recall that dreadful woman who— but never mind. She shall be forgotten. [grin]