Elections for the Idaho Education Association (IEA) Board of Directors open on Wednesday, April 23. The election seeks to fill 11 seats and will employ online voting, with secure ballots sent to members’ emails. Members with registered phone numbers will receive an SMS linking them to their ballot. Voting ends at 5 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Thursday, May 1.
Layne McInelly, IEA President, emphasized the importance of active participant involvement, saying, “Our member-driven, democratic union thrives with strong participation — especially the election of our leaders. Your participation and engagement can only make us stronger and even more reflective of the priorities you are passionate about.”
The elections allow active members to vote for statewide and regional board seats. Statewide positions include the NEA Director, who represents Idaho on the National Education Association Board of Directors, and an At-Large seat. Regional elections are open for active members in specific areas such as North Idaho/Coeur d’Alene, Payette/McCall/Middleton, Southeast Idaho/Pocatello, Boise, Nampa/Caldwell/Mountain Home, and West Ada. There are also races for retired and aspiring educator members for dedicated seats.
Two races have multiple declared candidates but all ballot positions provide a write-in option. For the NEA Director position, candidates are Lindsey Smith from Lewiston EA and Alicia Purdy from Vallivue EA. In Region 7, where the top two candidates win, the names on the ballot are Shelia Dengler-Shaw, Cassandra Horner, and Amber Lee Armstrong, all of whom are from Boise EA.
