Super Tuesday is here, and you are about to be inundated by people telling you that you need to get out there and vote.
It’s your civic duty! People died for this right! If you don’t vote, you can’t complain!
Garbage. All of this is utter garbage.
Take Alabama, for example. We have an amendment on our ballot about the makeup of the State Board of Education.
Should it be appointed or elected?
Here is the text you will see:
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to change the name of the State Board of Education to the Alabama Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education; to provide for the appointment of the members of the commission by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate; to change the name of the State Superintendent of Education to the Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education; to provide for the appointment of the secretary by the commission, subject to confirmation by the Senate; and to authorize the Governor to appoint a team of local educators and other officials to advise the commission on matters relating to the functioning and duties of the State Department of Education
Uh, what?
Both sides of this issue are running radio ads telling us how important this.
How many states do it this way? Vote “Yes!”
They want to take away your right to vote on who is on the state school board? Vote “No!”
OK, great.
Before you get fired up about this, let me ask you this question: Who is your state school board member?
Most of you don’t know, and the people reading this are the most informed people in the state. That’s how much this doesn’t matter.
So how will I vote? I will vote “Yes” to appoint the state school board, but I can’t imagine Alabamians giving away their right to vote on this issue. Thus, “No” could likely win out, so the status quo continues.
But the bigger point still remains. We are a society that spends more time telling people to vote than we do educating them on what they are voting on.
But here is a spoiler for you: The quality of Alabama’s education system will not hinge on this issue.
Bad schools will be bad schools, good schools will be good schools, bad parents will be bad parents and good parents will be good parents.
Your local board of education is far more important than the state board of education. And we all know most of you have no clue who your local school board member is either.
Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.
