Voters in the San Diego Unified School District will vote this fall on Measure C, which would eliminate primary elections for seats on the district’s school board when there are two or fewer candidates seeking a seat. What would Measure C do? If approved by a simple majority of voters, Measure C would amend the San Diego city charter to eliminate primary elections for school board in races where there aren’t more than two candidates and require only a November general election. The city charter must be amended to make the change because some school district election policies and procedures are governed by the city charter. Only city residents who live within the school district boundaries will be allowed to vote on Measure C. Parts of the city are in other school districts, including Poway Unified. Why is this on the ballot? Since the school district made the switch from electing board members at-large to electing them based on five geographic districts, primary elections have sometimes had two or fewer candidates. Under the current rules, two candidates facing off for a seat must run twice: first in a spring primary and again in a November general election. And a candidate running unopposed for a school board seat must also run in both the primary and the general election. The school board is proposing the charter change in response to complaints that it’s a waste of money to have candidates face off twice. Who supports it, and why? The City Council voted unanimously to place Measure C on the ballot this summer. The ballot statement in favor of Measure C says the current system is confusing, costly and easily manipulated. “The current system lets special interests tilt elections with big spending in low-turnout primaries that yield warped, undemocratic results,” the statement says. “Measure C moves one-on-one elections to November, when most voters cast ballots, limiting election manipulation and ensuring a true majority chooses our local leaders.” Supporters say Measure C would have saved $260,000 in the current election cycle, where two primaries were held for seats when there were two candidates or fewer. City officials estimate each of those primaries cost about $130,000. Measure C is supported by the San Diego Education Association, a labor union representing the district’s teachers, as well as by City Councilmembers Sean Elo-Rivera and Marni von Wilpert and the former chair of the city’s Ethics Commission, Gil Cabrera. Who opposes it, and why? A group of opponents says Measure C would eliminate a chance for voters to hold schools and school leaders accountable. “The traditional regular full voting processes are ended,” opponents say in their ballot statement. “Elections are the only performance check we have on the quality of neighborhood schools.” Where can I read more? San Diego Unified proposed ballot measure would skip primaries in less competitive school board races