Candidates announced for school board elections. But how strong will voter turnout be?

Candidates are being announced for the upcoming school board elections — the first time they're being held since parts of Bill 40 were overturned.

But there are still questions about how strong voter turnout will be.

"I wouldn't put all of my eggs in that basket. I don't think that the voter turnout alone is an indicator of whether school boards should continue to exist," said Joe Ortona, chairperson candidate for the English Montreal School Board.

The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) tried to eliminate the elections and school boards all together with Bill 40. Part of the reason was because of low voter turnout.

The last election doesn't have solid data as it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But in 2014, turnout was under 17 per cent province-wide.

Katherine Korakakis is running against Ortona to be chairperson of the EMSB.

"I think that it would be an unfair way to judge whether or not our community values, you know, our school boards and controlling our school boards with community turnout to vote," Korakakis said.

In 2023, Quebec Superior Court struck down parts of Bill 40, allowing English school boards to continue operating.

The Quebec English School Boards Association is launching an awareness campaign to highlight that the only people who can't vote are those with children in French school. Everyone else, including those who don't have children, can.

"I'm going to speak very plainly. Being somebody who's running, it's not easy. Nothing about running this election as easy. It's run like a real election but you have all these hurdles to overcome," Korakakis said. "Not everybody's registered to vote. A lot of confusion. Who can vote? A lot of confusion on how to vote."

Along with its challenge to Bill 40, the EMSB is taking on the Legault government on Bill 96. Candidates for chairperson say they plan to continue that fight.

"If we weren't ready to take it on, we wouldn't have started it to begin with. We're ready to go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to," Ortona said.

"The community has to defend their rights. I think it's important and I think that we continue what we need to do," Korakakis said, "but I also think that we need to build bridges."

Nomination papers for candidates can be submitted as of Tuesday and voters have until Oct. 15 to add their names to the electoral list.

School board elections are set for Nov. 3.