Last week, the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution expressing the board’s discomfort with the idea of turning school board elections into partisan elections.

The push for partisan elections is coming from Raleigh and a General Assembly looking for a fundamental change in the way local races are conducted. The offices included are for judges, cities and towns and school boards.

The first question to ask is: why is this happening?

Some have referred to it as a means to achieve transparency: a voter will know what he’s getting if he sees a (D) or an (R) next to a candidate’s name. Others have referred to it as a power grab on the part of legislators in Raleigh, and an attempt to take advantage of uninformed voters who would rely solely on political affiliation to cast a vote.

Many are confused about why the legislation is necessary because towns and school boards, especially, really don’t operate on a partisan basis. Rather, elected officials are likely more invested in doing the job to the benefit of all residents, simply because they live and work among those they represent. They are answerable to all — not just an affiliation. School board members are on those boards to make decisions in the best interest of those involved in public schools, from a seasoned administrator right on down to a kindergartner on her first day of school.

What bearing does politics have on that?

It seems that the desire for a designation of (D) or (R) or even an (I) behind a candidate’s name could be deceptive for voters, by implying a candidate automatically subscribes to a party’s greater ideology. That candidate may, or he may not. On a national level, his beliefs may very well fall in with the party line. However, things change when one is not dealing with constituents from afar, but on a local level — face-to-face from across a desk, a church aisle or at a social occasion. Proscribing oneself to a set ideology may be a bit more difficult when it’s friends, family and neighbors one has been elected to serve.

There’s been much said about how this nation is more divided politically than it ever has been. Another question to ask of those pushing for this legislation is: does making local elections partisan actually serve a purpose other than to further divide people?

And finally, on a local note: why is it that Beaufort County’s representatives in Raleigh did not seek the opinions of county commissioners or anyone affiliated with the schools or the Board of Elections on this issue before signing up for this legislation?

If both the school board and the board of commissioners are speaking out against partisan elections, it’s unclear who those legislators are representing.