REP. JUSTIN SIMMONS

State Rep. Justin Simmons, R-131st, is the prime sponsor of legislation to remove the ability of school board candidates to cross-file nomination petitions in Pennsylvania. It was announced March 14, House Bill 638 was approved by the House State Government Committee and sent to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

Simmons’ bill would amend the Pennsylvania Election Code, which currently allows candidates running for the position of school board member to file nomination petitions for multiple political parties.

“Voters are often confused when a school board candidate receives the nomination of more than one party on the ballot,” Simmons said. “By eliminating a candidate’s ability to cross-file, we would provide some clarity to voters in school board elections. These positions are truly political in nature because of the budget-related decisions school board members make, and the election process for them should be the same as any other political candidate.”

Simmons introduced similar legislation in a previous session, but it did not come up for a vote in the House.