When Isle of Wight voters scan their ballot this election season, they’ll notice something different: Instead of names next to bubbles, voters will find a space to write in a name for recently vacated school board seat.
Former school board member Brandi Perkins resigned from the board on July 31. By the time the county issued a writ of election to fill the seat, the deadline to file as a candidate passed.
Now, three of the residents whom the board considered for Perkins’ temporary replacement are hopeful that write-in campaigns can work: Former public schools finance official Jeff Ryder, civil engineer Greg Brown and nonprofit director Candy Hayes.
“It reflects the challenging intersection of deadlines,” said Jesse Richman, political science professor at Old Dominion University. “You've got a deadline for ballot preparation, and because the state starts voting so early now … those deadlines are pretty early.”
Isle of Wight voters might feel some deja vu: Last year, Jarad Ford won the District 3 school board seat via write-in. He said he found it best to take a personal, small-scale approach to campaigning.
“I want people to know that these local positions matter,” he said. “The responsibility to be civically engaged dictates the fabric of our community.”
In addition to getting their ideas to voters, candidates running write-in campaigns have to make sure voters have basic information, like what they’re running for and perhaps most importantly, how to spell their name.
Virginia election law and guidance says write-in votes that are variations of the same name should be accounted for together (like Johnathon Doe and John Doe), and if there is any confusion, the local electoral board decides what names should be counted together.
“I kind of had to add that as part of my campaigning,” Brown said. “Just educating people that, ‘Hey, you probably don't know this, but there is a special election for school board that's going to be on the ballot. And also, nobody's name is on the ballot. It's all write-in.’”
Learn more about the candidates
Candidates running write-in campaigns for the Isle of Wight school board were considered for appointment to the board. Here are the application packets they submitted to the school board:
All three candidates campaigning for the District 1 school board seat are first-time candidates and were considered for appointment to the seat.
Ryder did not respond to a request for an interview. The resume he submitted to the Isle of Wight School Board for appointment shows he’s worked in school district finance since 2012. Ryder is retired now, and his last held position was Assistant Superintendent of Finance for the East Aurora school district in Illinois.
“Every financial decision ultimately affected classrooms, teachers, families, and the future of the community,” Ryder wrote to the board. “That perspective has shaped both my career and my appreciation for the important role that thoughtful school board governance plays in the success of a school division.”
Hayes runs a nonprofit called Daniel’s Blessing. She said it’s meant to expose kids to experiences they may not otherwise have. Each year, for example, she brings participants to the Virginia Opera.
Hayes has an adult child and moved to Isle of Wight five years ago.
“When people say, ‘You don't have a kid in school, why do you want to do this?’ Because I have kids. … (They’re not) my biological kids, but they are my kids, and I care about them. I care about their future.”
Hayes has been on a number of community boards, including the Smithfield Schoolhouse Museum board and the Norfolk Botanical Gardens President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
Hayes isn’t ready to say what she would like to work on as a school board member. Instead, she said, her focus will be to bring people together to begin work.
“Listening,” she said. “Listening to the kids, listening to parents, listening to the staff. “People feel like they're not heard, so I just want to bring (them) together. … Maybe we can get more things done.”
Brown, however, has several ideas on what he would focus on as a school board member. His wife was a teacher and now works part-time in schools. He also has two children in Isle of Wight schools.
He said he would like to ensure there are better services for students who need them – specifically students in gifted education and young students who need special education resources.
Brown said his family struggled to make sure one of his children was being challenged enough, and wants to build on some recent programming the district has introduced for gifted students, such as a districtwide day focused on science, technology and art topics.
“If our kids aren't necessarily getting seen, there's probably a lot of other kids that aren't either, and they need somebody willing to speak up for them,” Brown said.
He said he would like to focus on how long it takes to identify students who need accommodations, and would like to find a way to make that process faster.
School security and food services are also priorities for Brown.
“We have a widely varied economic population in Isle of Way County, and a lot of kids they're not getting regularly fed unless they are coming to school,” he said. “We need to take care of the kids because if they're hungry, they're not learning.”
Freelance reporter Nash Phillips contributed to this report.
