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Merced City School District elections (2016)
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Three of the five seats on the Merced City School District Board of Education were up for by-district general election on November 8, 2016. Two of the seats were up for election to four-year terms, and one seat was up for election to a two-year term due to an appointment on the board.[1] Appointed incumbent Michael Crass and challengers Marian Navarro Ledesma and Shane Smith ran for the two-year term in Area 1, and Crass won. In his bid for re-election to Area 2, incumbent Gene Stamm was defeated by challenger Miguel Lopez. The race for the open Area 4 seat featured candidates Emily Langdon and Tom Parker. Langdon was elected to the seat.[2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Merced City Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district on a staggered basis every November of even-numbered years. Three seats were up for election on November 4, 2014, and three seats—two four-year terms and one two-year term—were up for election on November 8, 2016. There was no primary election.[4]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to register with the county elections office by August 12, 2016. If incumbents did not file by that deadline, the filing deadline was extended for non-incumbent candidates until August 17, 2016. In order to qualify as candidates, they had to be at least 18 years old, citizens of California, residents of the school district, registered voters, and "not legally disqualified from holding civil office," according to the bylaws of the Merced City Board of Education. Once they took office, school board members could not be employed by the school district.[5][6]
To vote in this election, residents of the school district had to register by October 24, 2016.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in this election.[8]
Candidates and results
Area 1
Results
| Merced City School District, Area 1 General Election, 2-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Michael Crass Incumbent |
36.31% | 2,345 |
| Shane Smith | 33.17% | 2,142 |
| Marian Navarro Ledesma | 30.35% | 1,960 |
| Write-in votes | 0.17% | 11 |
| Total Votes | 6,458 | |
| Source: Merced County, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Michael Crass 
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Marian Navarro Ledesma | Shane Smith | |||
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Area 2
Results
| Merced City School District, Area 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Miguel Lopez |
59.38% | 2,640 |
| Gene Stamm Incumbent | 40.49% | 1,800 |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 6 |
| Total Votes | 4,446 | |
| Source: Merced County, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Gene Stamm | Miguel Lopez
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Area 4
Results
| Merced City School District, Area 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Emily Langdon |
51.59% | 2,565 |
| Tom Parker | 48.23% | 2,398 |
| Write-in votes | 0.18% | 9 |
| Total Votes | 4,972 | |
| Source: Merced County, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Emily Langdon
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Tom Parker | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: California elections, 2016
The district's school board election shared the ballot with a number of statewide ballot measures as well as elections for the following offices:[9]
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Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for California school board elections in 2016:[10][11]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
| August 10, 2016 - November 8, 2016 | 24-hour campaign contribution reporting period |
| August 12, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| August 17, 2016 | Extended filing deadline for non-incumbent candidates for open seats |
| September 29, 2016 | First pre-election campaign finance report due |
| October 24, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| October 27, 2016 | Second pre-election campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| January 31, 2017 | Semi-annual campaign finance report due |
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 in this race were required to file two pre-election reports. The first was due on September 29, 2016, and the second was due on October 27, 2016. If candidates received more than $1,000 from a single source between August 10, 2016, and November 8, 2016, they had to file a campaign finance report within 24 hours of receiving the contribution.[11]
Candidates who did not raise or spend more than $2,000 on their campaigns had to file an exemption form by September 29, 2016. They did not have to file additional campaign finance reports.[11]
Candidates who had a remaining balance from previous campaigns or who had raised or spent money on their campaigns prior to the candidate filing deadline had to file a semi-annual campaign finance report by August 1, 2016. The next semi-annual campaign finance report was due January 31, 2017.[11]
Reports
Candidates received a total of $24,001.58 and spent a total of $16,915.09 in the election, according to the Merced County Elections Office.[12]
Area 1
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Crass | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Marian Navarro Ledesma | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Shane Smith | $12,044.00 | $7,200.70 | $4,843.30 |
Area 2
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Stamm | $3,000.00 | $2,084.09 | $915.91 |
| Miguel Lopez | $3,695.58 | $3,695.58 | $0.00 |
Area 4
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Langdon | $5,262.00 | $3,934.72 | $1,327.28 |
| Tom Parker | $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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2014Trustee Area 1This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Darrell Cherf from Trustee Area 1 won re-election by default.[13] Trustee Area 3
Trustee Area 5This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Jessica Kazakos from Trustee Area 5 won re-election by default.[14] 2012Trustee Area 2This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Gene Stamm was re-elected by default.[15] Trustee Area 4
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What was at stake?
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About the district
- See also: Merced City School District, California
The Merced City School District is located in Merced County in central California. The county seat is Merced. Merced County was home to 268,455 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 154th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 10,613 students.[17]
Demographics
Merced County underperformed compared to California as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 13 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. The median household income for Merced County was $43,066, compared to $61,489 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 24.8 percent, compared to 16.4 percent statewide.[16]
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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.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Merced City School District' 'California'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Merced City School District | California | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Merced Sun-Star, "Open board seat temporarily filled for Merced City school board," May 25, 2016
- ↑ Merced County Registrar of Voters, "2016 Presidential General - November 8: Qualified School District Candidates," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ Merced County, "November 8, 2016 General Election Results," accessed December 12, 2016
- ↑ Merced City School District, "School Board," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ Merced City School District, "Board Policy," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ California Elections Code, “Part 5, Section 10600-10604: School District And Community College District Governing Board Elections,” accessed June 15, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "California Online Voter Registration," accessed June 13, 2016
- ↑ Merced County Registrar of Voters, "Information on Current Elections," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "November 8, 2016, General Election Calendar," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 California Fair Political Practices Commission, "Filing Schedule for Candidates and Controlled Committees for Local Office Being Voted on November 8, 2016," accessed July 27, 2016
- ↑ Merced County Elections Office, "Campaign Docs Retrieval: Search By Election," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ California Election Code, "Section 10229," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ California Election Code, "Section 10229," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ Merced Sun-Star, "Contested school board races in Merced down to one," October 25, 2012
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "Merced County, California," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Merced County Registrar of Voters, "November 6, 2012 Election Results," accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ Merced County Registrar of Voters, "November 8, 2008," accessed July 24, 2014
| 2016 Merced City School District Elections | |
| Merced County, California | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | Area 1: • Incumbent, Michael Crass • Marian Navarro Ledesma • Shane Smith Area 2: • Incumbent, Gene Stamm • Miguel Lopez Area 4: • Emily Langdon • Tom Parker |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
