LANSING, Mich. — A new bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would make a major change to how local school board candidates appear on the ballot.

House Bill 4588 proposed to make local school board elections partisan. If passed, candidates would have to run under a political party and appear on the same ballot sections as other partisan offices, such as governor or state representatives.

Currently, all school board races in Michigan are nonpartisan, meaning candidates appear without party labels. Under the proposal, only local school district board races would shift to partisan elections. Other education-related boards, including intermediate and community college boards, would remain nonpartisan.

If signed into law, Michigan would become the fifth state to require s

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