Researchers have examined the relationship between the competitiveness of elections and the responsiveness or receptivity of officials put into office by those elections. The author describes his research into the competitiveness of school board elections and the receptivity of those board members. Receptivity is defined as an official's support for communication with, and participation by, his constituents. Data for the research were derived from interviews with 440 board members from 72 elective school boards distributed across the continental United States. Different degrees of metropolitanization are reflected in the sample. The interviews sought attitudes toward participation and communication. The interview results and some explanatory narrative are included. (JF)