Bastrop Independent School District elections (2015)
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Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links |
Bastrop Independent School District Bastrop County, Texas ballot measures Local ballot measures, Texas |
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Two seats on the Bastrop Independent School District Board of Trustees were scheduled for general election on May 9, 2015, but the election was canceled due to a lack of opposed races.[1]
Place 1 incumbent and Board President James Allen won re-election following the cancellation. Place 2 incumbent and Board Vice-President David Long, however, did not file to seek re-election. Kellye Seekatz was the sole candidate to file for the open seat, which she assumed at the board's May 2015 meeting.[1]
According to the district, cancelling the election saved an estimated $14,000.[1]
About the district
Bastrop Independent School District is located in Bastrop, the county seat of Bastrop County, in south-central Texas. The county was home to an estimated 78,069 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Bastrop Independent School District was the 110th-largest school district in Texas, serving 9,302 students in the 2012–2013 school year.[3]
Demographics
Bastrop County underperformed in comparison to the rest of Texas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 16.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 26.7 percent for the state as a whole. The median household income in Bastrop County was $51,750, compared to $51,900 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 16.5 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for the entire state.[2]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Voter and candidate information
The Bastrop ISD Board of Trustees is composed of seven members who are elected at-large to three-year terms in specifically numbered seats. The seat numbers do not correlate to geographic districts or specific schools in the district. Rather, they serve to separate the elections for each seat on the board into its own race. Candidates file to run for a specific seat, but all voters in the school district are eligible to vote for every place seat up for election. Places 1 and 2 were scheduled for general election on May 9, 2015, but the Board of Trustees voted to cancel the election on March 24, 2015, due to only one candidate filing for each race.[1]
Elections
2015
Candidates
Place 1
James Allen 
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Place 2
| Kellye Seekatz
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Election results
This election was canceled by the Board of Trustees on March 24, 2015, due to the lack of opposed races.[1]
Place 1
Incumbent James Allen won re-election without opposition.
Place 2
Kellye Seekatz won election without opposition.
Endorsements
No official endorsements were made in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.[5]
Texas school board candidates and officeholders must file semiannual reports, which were due on January 15, 2015, and July 15, 2015. In addition, candidates in contested elections were required to file 30-day and 8-day pre-election reports, unless the candidate chose modified reporting.[6]
Candidates in contested elections who did not intend to exceed $500 in contributions or expenditures, excepting filing fees, were eligible for modified reporting. If they exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, candidates were required to submit the 30- and 8-day reports. If they exceeded the threshold after the 30th day prior to the election, they were required to file a report within 48 hours of exceeding the threshold and participate in regular reporting for the rest of the election cycle.[7]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |
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2014Molly McClure and Billy Moore were automatically elected to their first terms after the Board of Trustees canceled the election and certified the unopposed candidates.[8] | |
What was at stake?
2015
Cancelled elections
Two of the seven seats on the Bastrop Board of Trustees were scheduled for election in 2015. The cancellation of these elections marked the second canceled election in a row due to a lack of contested races. In 2014, Molly McClure and Billy Moore were automatically elected to their first terms after the Board of Trustees canceled the election and certified the unopposed candidates.[8]
The trend of low contest elections, however, extends further back. One of the three seats up for election in 2013 was unopposed while the other two seats saw just two candidates file for each of their races. Similarly in 2012, two seats up for election saw two candidates each.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Texas school board elections in May 2015:[9][6]
| Deadline | Event |
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| January 28, 2015 | First day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| February 27, 2015 | Last day to file paperwork for ballot placement |
| March 4, 2015 | Last day to withdraw from ballot |
| April 9, 2015 | Last day for voter registration with county clerk |
| Campaign finance report due | |
| April 27, 2015- May 5, 2015 |
Early in-person voting period |
| April 30, 2015 | Last day to request mailed ballot from county clerk |
| May 1, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
| May 9, 2015 | Election Day |
| May 20, 2015 | Final day for canvassing of votes |
| July 15, 2015 | Campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2015
While the school board election was canceled, a local sales and use tax question for the Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1 appeared on the ballot on May 9, 2015.[10]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bastrop ISD Texas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bastrop Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bastrop Independent School District, "BISD Board of Trustees Election cancelled," March 26, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: Bastrop County, Texas," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "1992 - Current Election History," accessed April 22, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Search Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 4, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Texas Ethics Commission, "2015 Filing Schedule for Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," September 1, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Bastrop Independent School District, "2013-14 Board Minutes: Regular Meeting," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "May 9, 2015 Election Law Calendar," accessed January 21, 2015
- ↑ Bastrop County Elections, "Current and Upcoming Elections," accessed April 22, 2015
| 2015 Bastrop Independent School District Elections | |
| Bastrop County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 9, 2015 - Canceled |
| Candidates: | Place 1: Incumbent, James Allen Place 2: Kellye Seekatz |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
