Bellingham School District elections (2015)
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Four seats on the Bellingham School District Board of Directors were up for election on November 3, 2015. Positions 1, 2, 3 and 5 were on the ballot. All seats on the board were elected at-large by the registered voters of the entire school district.
At-large incumbents Camille Diaz Hackler, Kenneth Gass and Kelly Bashaw's terms were up for general election. Hackler and Bashaw won re-election without opposition to seats in Position 1 and Position 3, respectively.[1]
Gass did not file to seek re-election to Position 2. Because more than two candidates filed for the race, a primary election for that seat was held on August 4, 2015. Jono Manion, Quenby Peterson, Dylan Richardson, Anthony Wallace and Shannon Wright filed for the open seat. Richardson and Wright dropped out before the primary election. The top two vote recipients in the three-way Position 2 race advanced from the primary election to the November 2015 ballot.[1] Peterson won the primary with more than 60 percent of the votes reported on August 6, 2015. Manion was the second winner, beating Wallace by just 24 votes. Peterson defeated Manion in the general election.
The fourth at-large seat, Position 5, was up for special election. The unexpired term was created by Scott Stockburger's resignation from the board on June 12, 2014, due to health concerns.[2] Douglas Benjamin was appointed to fill the open seat in August 2014. He won the unexpired term without opposition. The term expired after the 2017 general election.[1]
About the district
- See also: Bellingham School District, Washington
Bellingham School District is located in Whatcom County in northwestern Washington. The county seat is Bellingham. Whatcom County was home to an estimated 206,353 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] In the 2011-2012 school year, Bellingham School District was the 30th-largest school district in Washington, serving 10,996 students.[4]
Demographics
In 2013, Whatcom County performed equally to the state of Washington as a whole in terms of higher education achievement. The United States Census Bureau found that 31.9 percent of Whatcom County residents and statewide residents aged 25 and older had earned a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income was $51,939 in Whatcom County in comparison to $59,478 statewide. The rate of persons living below the poverty line in Whatcom County was 16.4 percent compared to 13.4 percent for the entire state.[3]
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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 Bellingham Board of Directors consists of five members who are elected at-large to four-year terms. While elected at-large, each seat is elected on a separate position ticket. Because more than two candidates filed for the Position 2 race, a primary election was held on August 4, 2015, with the top two vote recipients advancing to the general election. The general election for the three regular terms for Positions 1, 2 and 3 and the one unexpired term for Position 5 was November 3, 2015.
Elections in Washington require candidates to pay filing fees equal to 1 percent of a position's annual salary. Board members in Bellingham can be reimbursed up to $4,800 for district activities but do not receive salaries, which eliminates the filing fee. Candidates were required to file for this election by May 15, 2015.[6]
Elections
2015
Position 1
Election results
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Camille Diaz Hackler Incumbent |
100.0% | 17,484 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 17,484 | |
| Source: Whatcom County Auditor, Election Division, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 23, 2015 | ||
Candidates
- Camille Diaz Hackler
- Incumbent
Position 2
Election results
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Quenby Peterson |
73.0% | 15,643 |
| Jono Manion | 27.0% | 5,800 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 21,443 | |
| Source: Whatcom County Auditor, Election Division, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 23, 2015 | ||
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 2 Primary Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Quenby Peterson |
62.2% | 8,591 |
| Jono Manion |
19.0% | 2,625 |
| Anthony Wallace | 18.8% | 2,601 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 13,817 | |
| Source: Whatcom County, Washington, "August 4, 2015 Primary," accessed August 20, 2015 | ||
Candidates
Position 3
Election results
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 3 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kelly Bashaw |
100.0% | 17,193 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 17,193 | |
| Source: Whatcom County Auditor, Election Division, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 23, 2015 | ||
Candidates
Position 5 (unexpired term)
Election results
| Bellingham School District Board of Directors, Position 5 General Election, 2-year unexpired term, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Douglas Benjamin Incumbent |
100.0% | 17,126 |
| Write-in votes | 0% | 0 |
| Total Votes | 17,126 | |
| Source: Whatcom County Auditor, Election Division, "November 3, 2015 General Election," November 23, 2015 | ||
Candidates
- Douglas Benjamin
- Incumbent
- Member since August 2014
Withdrawn candidates
Position 2
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $425.10 and spent a total of $414.78 as of October 30, 2015, according to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.[7] The totals in the table below include debts incurred by candidates.
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position 1 | |||
| Camille Diaz Hackler | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Position 2 | |||
| Jono Manion | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Quenby Peterson | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Anthony Wallace | $425.10 | $414.78 | -$479.68 |
| Dylan Richardson Withdrawn | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Shannon Wright Withdrawn | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Position 3 | |||
| Kelly Bashaw | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Position 5 | |||
| Douglas Benjamin | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Candidates who raised and spent no more than $5,000 in aggregate and who did not receive more than $500 from any one contributor, including themselves, could participate in "mini reporting." These candidates were required to file a candidate registration statement and keep a record of their contributors and expenditures, but they were not required to report them unless they exceed the stated thresholds. In those cases, they were required to switch their filing status from "mini" to "full" reporting by August 31, 2015.[8]
Contributions to school board candidate committees were subject to the following limits:[8]
- State parties or caucus political committees (separately): $0.95 per registered voter from January 1 to December 31
- County and legislative district parties (combined): $0.50 per registered voter from January 1 to December 31
- Individuals, PACS, unions, corporations or other entities (separately): $950 per primary and general election
School board candidate committees were prohibited from receiving contributions from other candidate committees. No contributors except state committees of political parties could give more than $5,000 in aggregate in the 21 days prior to the election.[8]
Past elections
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2013Position 4General
Primary
Position 5General
2011Position 1General
Position 2General
Position 3General
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the 2015 Washington school board elections:[9][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| May 11-15, 2015 | Candidate filing period |
| May 18, 2015 | Deadline for candidates to withdraw |
| July 14, 2015 | Pre-primary campaign finance report due |
| July 27, 2015 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| July 28, 2015 | Pre-primary campaign finance report due |
| August 4, 2015 | Primary election day |
| September 10, 2015 | Post-primary campaign finance report due |
| October 13, 2015 | Pre-general campaign finance report due |
| October 26, 2015 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| October 27, 2015 | Pre-general campaign finance report due |
| November 3, 2015 | General Election Day |
| November 24, 2015 | Election results certified |
| December 10, 2015 | Post-general campaign finance report due |
| January 11, 2016 | End of election cycle campaign finance report due |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Washington elections, 2015
Six statewide ballot measures appeared on the ballot alongside the school board election and other local elections.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bellingham School District Washington. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bellingham School District | Washington | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Whatcom County Auditor's Office, "2015 Candidates Who Have Filed," accessed May 27, 2015
- ↑ KGMI, "School Board position up for grabs," June 13, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "State & County QuickFacts: King County, Washington," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed April 22, 2014
- ↑ Whatcom County Auditor, "Election History," accessed August 30, 2013
- ↑ Whatcom County Elections, "Filing for Elective Office," accessed September 3, 2013
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Search the Database: Local Candidates," accessed October 30, 2015
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "Mini Campaign Reporting Disclosure Instructions," June 2014
- ↑ Clark County Elections, "2015 Elections Calendar," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission, "2015 Key Reporting Dates for Candidates," accessed January 23, 2015
| 2015 Bellingham School District Elections | |
| Whatcom County, Washington | |
| Election date: | Primary - August 4, 2015
General - November 3, 2015 |
| Candidates: | Position 1 : Incumbent, Camille Diaz Hackler
Position 2 : Jono Manion • Quenby Peterson • Anthony Wallace
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| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
