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October 16, 2014 – The Spokesman-Review – Betsy Russell –
 
Republican candidate for Idaho state schools superintendent Sherri Ybarra said in a televised debate Wednesday night that she’s running for the office in part to “repay Idaho” for her own failure to vote in any Idaho general election since she moved to the state in 1996.
 
“It’s not new news that I’ve been sporadic with my voting history. We as Republicans accept responsibility for our past, and in moving forward we understand that our past should never dictate our future,” Ybarra said. “And I’m so glad you asked me that because that is one of the reasons that I’m here tonight. It is easy to complain about the past and get complacent. It is harder to step forward and say you know what, that’s why I’m here, because I have not been very good at my civic duties and I want to repay Idaho. … It will not happen again.”
 
Democratic candidate Jana Jones said, “I think it’s really important that when we look at leadership and how we define leadership, we look at people that are also role models for what we want our public and our students to be able to do.” Students should be “well-prepared academically,” but also in civics, she said, and “know the importance of being engaged in their community and voting. … I think as a superintendent, it’s important from that leadership all the way down through that you have someone who knows the importance of that civic duty. … I have always voted and always will continue to vote.”
 
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