Denton Independent School District elections (2017)
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Two of the seven seats on the Denton Independent School District board of trustees in Texas
were up for general election on May 6, 2017. In his bid for re-election to the Place 6 seat, incumbent Jim Alexander defeated Alfredo Sanchez. Place 7 incumbent Dorothy Martinez defeated challengers Justin Bell and Samuel Ortiz.[1][2] The 2017 election was the first time in four election cycles that no candidate ran unopposed. In the district's 2014, 2015, and 2016 races, every candidate who ran for a seat was elected to the board without opposition. Click here to read about more election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Denton Independent board of trustees consists of seven members elected by district to three-year terms. Elections are held on a staggered basis every year in May. Three seats—Places 3, 4, and 5—were up for election on May 7, 2016, and two seats—Places 6 and 7—were up for election on May 6, 2017.[3]
To qualify for the election, candidates for the board of trustees had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, residents of the school district, and registered voters. They could not be convicted of a felony. To get on the ballot, they had to file their candidacy applications with the school district by February 17, 2017.[4]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by April 6, 2017.[5]
Place 6
Results
| Denton Independent School District, Place 6 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jim Alexander Incumbent |
62.62% | 4,545 |
| Alfredo Sanchez | 37.38% | 2,713 |
| Total Votes | 7,258 | |
| Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Jim Alexander 
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Alfredo Sanchez | ||
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Place 7
Results
| Denton Independent School District, Place 7 General Election, 3-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Dorothy Martinez Incumbent |
48.54% | 3,383 |
| Justin Bell | 37.06% | 2,583 |
| Samuel Ortiz | 14.39% | 1,003 |
| Total Votes | 6,969 | |
| Source: Denton County Elections, "Cumulative Report–Official: Denton County–2017 May General and Special Elections," accessed June 2, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Dorothy Martinez
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Justin Bell | Samuel Ortiz | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2017
The Denton Independent board of trustees election shared the ballot with elections for four seats on the Denton City Council and a tax levy proposition for the city.[6] The tax levy proposition appeared on the ballot as follows with the option to vote for or against:
| “ | Authorize the adoption of a ceiling or limitation on the City ad valorem tax levy of a person who is disabled and a person who is sixty-five(65) years of age or older who makes application for and receives a homestead exemption[7] | ” |
| —City of Denton (2017)[6] | ||
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Denton Independent board of trustees election.[8][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| February 17, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 6, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 6, 2017 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 24, 2017 - May 2, 2017 | Early voting period |
| April 28, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 6, 2017 | General election date |
| July 17, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Endorsements
The organization Empower Texans endorsed Place 7 challenger Justin Bell.[10]
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
There were three campaign finance deadlines for Texas school board candidates in 2017:[11]
- The 30th day report was due on April 6, 2017,
- The 8th day report was due on April 28, 2017, and
- The July semiannual report was due on July 17, 2017.
All school board candidates in the state were also required to file July semiannual campaign finance reports. Opposed school board candidates could choose "modified reporting" if they did not plan to exceed either $500 in contributions or $500 in expenditures in the election. Modified reporting exempts a candidate from filing the 30th and 8th day reports normally due before an election. If a candidate opted for modified reporting but exceeded the threshold before the 30th day prior to the election, he or she had to file the 30th and 8th day reports. Unopposed school board candidates were only required to file a campaign finance report on the July semiannual deadline.[12]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $1,000.00 and spent a total of $4,044.38 as of April 18, 2017, according to the Denton Independent School District.[13]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 6 | |||
| Jim Alexander | $0.00 | $4,044.38 | ($4,044.38) |
| Alfredo Sanchez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Place 7 | |||
| Dorothy Martinez | $1,000.00 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 |
| Justin Bell | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Samuel Ortiz | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2016The 2016 election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Place 3 incumbent Doug Chadwick, Place 4 incumbent Mia Price, and Place 5 incumbent Charles Stafford were re-elected to the board by default. 2015The 2015 election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Place 1 incumbent Barbara Burns and Place 2 incumbent Jeanetta Smith were re-elected to the board by default. 2014The 2014 election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Place 6 incumbent Jim Alexander and Place 7 candidate Dorothy Martinez were elected to the board by default.[14][15] 2013
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What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 election for the Denton Independent board of trustees was the first time in four election cycles that no candidate ran unopposed. Five candidates ran for two seats in the 2017 race, while in the district's 2014, 2015, and 2016 races one candidate ran for each seat on the ballot.
Both incumbents whose terms were up for re-election ran to retain their seats in 2017. They each defeated at least one challenger. New members were elected to the board in 2014 and 2016 due to open seats. In 2015, every incumbent up for re-election ran and won an additional term.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Denton Independent School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.50 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2016 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 66.67% | 100.00% | 33.33% | |
| 2015 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2014 | 1.00 | 100.00% | 50.00% | 100.00% | 50.00% | |
| Texas | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.69 | 48.62% | 77.98% | 83.53% | 34.40% | |
| 2014 | 1.86 | 37.61% | 75.22% | 81.76% | 38.05% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 75.51% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
The Denton Independent School District is located in Denton County, and the county seat is Denton. According to the United States Census Bureau, Denton County was home to an estimated 780,612 residents in 2015.[16] The district was the 47th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 27,020 students.[17]
Demographics
Denton County outperformed Texas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 41.3 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 27.6 percent of state residents. The median household income in Denton County was $75,050, compared to $53,207 for the entire state. The county poverty rate was 8 percent, while it was 15.9 percent statewide.[16]
| Racial Demographics, 2011-2015[16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Denton County (%) | Texas (%) |
| White | 78.5 | 79.7 |
| Black or African American | 9.8 | 12.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 8.2 | 4.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19.2 | 38.8 |
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 Denton Independent School District Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Denton Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Kim Stevenson, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and Board of Trustees, Denton Independent School District," February 21, 2017
- ↑ Denton County Elections, "2017 May General and Special Elections: Unofficial Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ Denton Independent School District, "Meet Our Board of Trustees," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ Denton Independent School District, "Board Members Eligibility/Qualifications," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election- Saturday, May 6, 2017," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Denton County Elections Administration, "Active Contests Options List: 2017 May General and Special Elections 05/06/2017," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule For Reports Due In Connection With Elections Held On Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Denton County Elections Administration, "Upcoming Election Information," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Empower Texans, "May 2017 Endorsements," accessed April 13, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule for Reports Due in Connection with Elections Held on Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "Campaign Finance Guide for Candidates and Officeholders Who File with Local Filing Authorities," accessed March 28, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Kim E. Stevenson, Exec. Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools and Board of Trustees, Denton ISD," April 18, 2017
- ↑ Denton Record-Chronicle, "Denton ISD cancels school board elections," April 6, 2014
- ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Election Advisory No. 2013-17," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Denton County, Texas," accessed March 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
| Denton Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| Denton County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Place 6: • Incumbent, Jim Alexander • Alfredo Sanchez Place 7: • Incumbent, Dorothy Martinez • Justin Bell • Samuel Ortiz |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
