Bedford County Public Schools elections (2017)
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Three of the seven seats on the Bedford County Public Schools school board in Virginia were up for by-district general election on November 7, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the District 2 and 3 seats, incumbents Jason W. Johnson and John H. Hicks Jr. won additional terms after running unopposition. In the race for the open District 4 seat, Marcus Hill defeated Isaiah Knight.[1]
The 2017 election had a lower percentage of unopposed seats and a higher average number of candidates on the ballot compared to the district's 2013 and 2015 elections. For information on election trends in the district and the state, click here.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Bedford County school board consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years. Four seats—Districts 1, 5, 6, and 7—were up for election on November 3, 2015, and three seats—Districts 2, 3, and 4—were up for election on November 7, 2017.[2]
To qualify as school board candidates, interested parties had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of Virginia for at least one year prior to the election. To get on the ballot, candidates had to file nomination paperwork with their county election office by June 13, 2017.[3][4]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by October 16, 2017.[5] Photo identification was required to vote in Virginia.[6]
Candidates and results
District 2
Results
| Bedford County Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jason W. Johnson Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.34% | 3,016 |
| Write-in votes | 1.66% | 51 |
| Total Votes | 3,067 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Jason W. Johnson 
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District 3
Results
| Bedford County Public Schools, District 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| John H. Hicks Jr. Incumbent (unopposed) |
98.21% | 3,177 |
| Write-in votes | 1.79% | 58 |
| Total Votes | 3,235 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| John H. Hicks Jr.
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|---|---|
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District 4
Results
| Bedford County Public Schools, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Marcus Hill |
59.68% | 2,698 |
| Isaiah Knight | 39.88% | 1,803 |
| Write-in votes | 0.44% | 20 |
| Total Votes | 4,521 | |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General," accessed November 21, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Marcus Hill
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Isaiah Knight | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Virginia elections, 2017
The Bedford County school board election shared the ballot with statewide elections for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Virginia school board elections in 2017:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 13, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| October 16, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
Endorsements
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $3,763.49 and spent a total of $3,428.27 in the election, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.[7]
| Candidate | Balance prior to election | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 2 | ||||
| Jason W. Johnson | $100.00 | $245.00 | $60.00 | $285.00 |
| District 3 | ||||
| John H. Hicks Jr. | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 4 | ||||
| Marcus Hill | $0.00 | $1,399.50 | $1,345.27 | $54.23 |
| Isaiah Knight | $0.00 | $2,118.99 | $2,023.00 | $95.99 |
Filing schedule
The following table details the filing schedule for campaign finance reports for school board candidates in Virginia who ran in a general election on November 7, 2017. The left column details the time period covered for each report, and the right column details the report's due date.[8]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in Bedford County Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Bedford County school board election had more candidates running per seat and a lower rate of unopposed seats compared to the district's 2013 and 2015 elections. Two-thirds of the seats on the ballot were unopposed in the 2017 race, and an average of 1.33 candidates ran per seat. In 2015, three-quarters of the seats were unopposed, and an average of 1.25 candidates ran per seat. In 2013, there was an average of one candidate per seat as every seat on the ballot was unopposed.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Bedford County Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.33 | 66.67% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2015 | 1.25 | 75.00% | 50.00% | 100.00% | 50.00% | |
| 2013 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Virginia | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.61 | 44.66% | 66.02% | 85.29% | 41.75% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey
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About the district
- See also: Bedford County Public Schools, Virginia
The Bedford County school district is located in central Virginia in Bedford County. The county seat is Bedford. The county was home to an estimated 77,960 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[9] The district was the 28th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 10,097 students.[10]
Demographics
Bedford County underperformed compared to Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 26.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 36.3 percent of state residents. During the same time period, the median household income in the county was $56,316, compared to $65,015 for the entire state. The poverty rate in Bedford County was 9.1 percent, compared to 11.2 percent statewide.[9]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Bedford County (%) | Virginia (%) |
| White | 89.8 | 70.2 |
| Black or African American | 7.1 | 19.7 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Asian | 1.2 | 6.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 1.5 | 2.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.1 | 9.0 |
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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bedford County Public Schools Virginia election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bedford County Public Schools | Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
- Bedford County Public Schools
- Bedford County Office of the Registrar
- Virginia Department of Elections
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Bedford County Voter Information Office," June 16, 2017
- ↑ Bedford County Public Schools, "School Board," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Becoming a Candidate," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Certificate Of Candidate Qualification: Local Offices," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Election Calendar: Election Deadline Calendar," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "In-Person Voting," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Finance Reports: Search Committees," accessed January 17, 2018
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Campaign Committee: 2017 Reporting Deadlines," accessed July 18, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Bedford County, Virginia," accessed June 9, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Bedford County Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Bedford County, Virginia | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Incumbent, Jason W. Johnson District 3: • Incumbent, John H. Hicks Jr. District 4: • Marcus Hill • Isaiah Knight |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
