Yes, it’s the first Tuesday of November in an odd-numbered year. That means, for the most part, elections that are dominated by local bond measures, county commissioner contests and other lower-profile races. All are good reasons to get out and vote—and these races, especially for school board, can make the most difference right in your area for your family—but most are not headline grabbers beyond their local area.
Still, Election Day 2017 does offer some nationally impactful races to keep an eye on as election results roll in on Tuesday evening.
Most of the national limelight is on Virginia, where voters will choose a new governor. With liberal Gov. Terry McAuliffe on his way out, voters will choose between Democrat Ralph Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie. Northam fashions himself as a moderate, though his record as Terry McAuliffe’s Lieutenant Governor would say otherwise. And, in the final days of the campaign, Gillespie has closed within striking distance by pointing that out.
Virginia is also home to a high-profile Attorney General race that has attracted major outside spending. In the final weeks, Family Policy Alliance’s allied organization in Virginia, The Family Foundation Action, has focused voters’ attention on the scandalously pro-abortion record of the Democrat incumbent, Mark Herring.
Herring stunned many observers by issuing an opinion that set aside Virginia’s statutory rape and mandatory reporting laws when it came to abortion clinics. That allowed Virginia abortion centers to avoid reporting many likely statutory rapes of 13- and 14-year-old girls. Even worse, the abortion center that precipitated the opinion is located in an area that has major problems with sex trafficking – meaning that, in many cases, sexual predators are the ultimate beneficiary of Herring’s pro-abortion ruling.
Elsewhere, voters in New Jersey will elect a new governor to replace outgoing Gov. Chris Christie. And voters in Utah’s Third Congressional District will choose a replacement for the retiring Jason Chaffetz.
Among the most important local races is the school board election in Douglas County, Colorado, which has become ground zero in the nationwide fight for parental choice in education.
A six-year effort to enact a modest voucher program has been stuck in the courts, but a U.S. Supreme Court directive this year gave new hope that the program will survive the legal challenge. Yet even with a favorable legal outcome, the survival of the school choice program is likely to be determined by the results of Tuesday’s school board elections.
So what’s the point? The point is..during an election year where there’s not a big, showy presidential race driving everyone to the polls, these local elections give voters who care about the value of life, family, and religious freedom an opportunity to shape what their school, city, state and ultimately country look like for their families!
Please join our team in wearing your “I voted” sticker proudly today!
