Satirical argument against children’s education makes it into official voters’ pamphlet
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Many registered voters in San Juan County are raising an eyebrow at the SJC Official Local Voters’ Pamphlet for the Aug. 4 primary election. The “Argument Against” the Lopez Island School District No. 144’s Proposition 1, written by Mike Minor, appears to be satirical.
Minor’s argument, pictured here, describes reasons to vote against the levy, such as “outdated textbooks build imagination” and “unreliable technology teaches patience.” He recommends voting no on the levy for the children’s own good in order to “spare them the burden of a well-supported education.”
According to Washington code, the legislative authority of a local jurisdiction submitting a ballot measure — in this case the Lopez Island School District — is responsible for formally appointing committees to prepare arguments for or against. If this isn’t possible, the appointments fall to the County auditor, who is not responsible for content of the arguments but only verifies whether the submitter is a resident or property owner in San Juan County.
“The Lopez Island School District was unable to appoint a committee to write an argument against their ballot measure,” SJC Elections Manager, Camolyn Armstrong, told the Journal. “The Auditor put out a press release titled, ‘Auditor seeks writers of arguments against ballot measures.’ Mr. Minor responded, was verified, and provided an argument statement against the district’s ballot measure.”
Brady Smith, superintendent of LISD, said he laughed out loud when it was first brought to his attention in the digital version of the already published voters’ pamphlet.
“As an English teacher, I appreciate the craft,” he told the Journal. “I have been asked by several community members if I had anything to do with it and the answer is no. My only concern is that some in our community will think the school was involved and vote no on this essential levy because of that. If this levy, which historically has passed with over 70% yes votes, does not pass this time, we will all undoubtedly wonder if this funny and satirical ‘against’ statement impacted the outcome. That said, I know our community supports our school and I can’t imagine that this will cause the levy renewal to fail.”
The levy is a continuation of the previous Educational Programs and Operations Levy that has been funding the district but expires this year. It’s likely to pass, although this situation does bring questions about who decides what’s included in the voters’ pamphlets. The full Washington Administrative Code on voters’ pamphlets can be found in Chapter 434-381 of the WAC.
