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Currently, candidates for Utah's State Board of Education can run with a political party label on the ballot, and if a board member leaves office early, the vacancy is filled either through a nonpartisan Senate-confirmed appointment or, for party-affiliated members, through a process where the member's political party nominates three replacement candidates for the governor to choose from. Starting with the 2028 election cycle, this bill would make all State Board of Education seats nonpartisan, meaning candidates would no longer run under a party label; instead, they would compete in a nonpartisan primary election that narrows the field before a nonpartisan general election. It would also standardize how vacancies are filled, requiring the governor to appoint a replacement who meets the office's eligibility and residency requirements, with the Utah Senate's approval, regardless of the departing member's party affiliation. The bill makes related technical updates to election law to remove references to partisan State Board of Education races.