Summary: <p></p> <p>School board races have become some of the most contentious elections of the 2022 midterms. These used to be mostly local affairs, with candidates typically raising less than $1,000 from friends and family. But now it’s not uncommon for big national political action committees to sink tens of thousands into a single race. It’s a trend that goes back more than a decade and has been supercharged by culture war issues and the pandemic.</p> <p> </p> <p>Today, we talk with <a href="https://education.msu.edu/people/jacobsen-rebecca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rebecca Jacobsen</a>, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, about the implications of outside money in school board elections for education policy and local democracy.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the News Fix, we’ll discuss what’s being done to address voter intimidation at the polls. Plus, two cryptocurrency giants are joining forces.</p> <p> </p> <p>Then, we’ll hear from a listener who wonders if the universe is sending us an Election Day message, and a mathematician who has thought a lot about <a href="https://www.jordanellenberg.com/how-not-to-be-wrong/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“How Not to Be Wrong”</a> answers the “Make Me Smart” question.</p> <p> </p> <p>Here’s everything we talked about today:</p> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2022/11/07/conservative-groups-are-spending-big-on-school-board-races/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Conservative groups are spending big on school board races” </a>from Marketplace</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/2022/10/23/super-pacs-spending-local-school-board-races/8125668001/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Super PACS are spending on local school board races</a> from USA Today</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-08/crypto-exchange-binance-to-buy-rival-ftx-com-terms-undisclosed?sref=F8BwdiK2#xj4y7vzkg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CZ’s Binance to Buy Rival FTX After Sam Bankman-Fried Faces Liquidity Crunch</a> from Bloomberg</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li>“<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/07/doj-election-monitors-fraud-threats/">Justice Dept. dispatching Election Day monitors to 64 jurisdictions</a>” from The Washington Post</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li>This <a href="https://866ourvote.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hotline </a>is ready to troubleshoot your voting related issues</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/science/lunar-eclipse-when-where.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Next Up in the Night Sky: A Total Lunar Eclipse</a> from The New York Times</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type: none;"> <ul> <li>Meet the <a href="https://www.jordanellenberg.com/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mathematician</a> who answered this week’s “Make Me Smart” question</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>We want to hear your answer to the “Make Me Smart” question. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART. You can also email makemesmart@marketplace.org.</p> <p></p>
