http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/national/09dover.html
Evolution Slate Outpolls Rivals
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: November 9, 2005
All eight members up for re-election to the Pennsylvania school board that had been sued for introducing the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in biology class were swept out of office yesterday by a slate of challengers who campaigned against the intelligent design policy.
Full at: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/09/national/09dover.html
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I think this is a common story. The whole conservative game plan of taking over school boards to publicize wingnut cultural issues thrives on the low turnouts that are endemic to such elections. That's why they keep coming back like a bad penny -- they can always win such an election -- but also why they never get seem to have gotten anywhere after 20 years of doing it. Because once they get the noteriety, the gig is up: there's a big turnout and they get swept. Because even if the majority of Americans don't fully believe in evolution, they do seem to mostly believe that their children's science teachers should be boring qualified nerds who aren't meddled with by zealots. Even well meaning zealots they agree with are still not most people's idea of the ideal school board member.
Michael