Mercer County Schools elections (2016)
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Two of the five seats on the Mercer County Schools Board of Education were up for at-large general election on May 10, 2016. Incumbents Paul Hodges and Mary Alice Kaufman ran unopposed and won re-election.[1][2]
Unopposed seats were not uncommon in Mercer County Schools elections. Every seat up for election in 2014 was also unopposed. See how the 2016 race compared to past elections in the district and the state in the "Election trends" section below.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Mercer County Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large, but they represent different geographical districts. No more than two members elected from any district may serve on the board during a given term. Primary elections are not used in West Virginia school board elections.[3] Three seats were up for general election on May 13, 2014, and two seats were up for general election on May 10, 2016.
To run in this election, candidates had to file with the Mercer County Clerk's Office by January 30, 2016.[4] Candidates also had to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or GED and be residents of the county. The cost to file for this election was $25.00.[5]
To vote in the election, district residents had to register by April 19, 2016.[4] Photo identification was not required to vote in West Virginia.
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Mercer County Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Mary Alice Kaufman Incumbent |
51.77% | 7,867 |
| Paul Hodges Incumbent |
48.02% | 7,297 |
| Write-in votes | 0.22% | 33 |
| Total Votes | 15,197 | |
| Source: Mercer County Election Office, "Election results," accessed May 27, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Paul Hodges 
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Mary Alice Kaufman
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The Mercer County Schools election shared the ballot with the state's presidential primary election as well as primary elections for a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives and five state executive offices: governor, attorney general, treasurer, auditor and agriculture commissioner. Primary elections for one State Senate seat and three House of Delegates seats were also on the ballot.[4][6][7][8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for West Virginia school board elections in 2016:[4][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 - January 30, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
| April 1, 2016 | First campaign finance reporting deadline |
| April 19, 2016 | Voter registration deadline |
| April 27, 2016 - May 7, 2016 | Early voting period |
| April 29, 2016 | Pre-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| May 10, 2016 | Election Day |
| June 21, 2016 | Post-primary campaign finance reporting deadline |
| July 1, 2016 | Board members take office |
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
Both candidates in this race filed waivers indicating they would not spend more than $500 in this race.[10]
The first campaign finance reporting deadline for this election was April 1, 2016. If the total of all of a candidate's financial transactions did not exceed $500 at that time, a waiver could be submitted in lieu of the report. All candidates had to file a pre-primary report with the county clerk's office by April 29, 2016, and a post-primary report by June 21, 2016.[9][11]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2014
2012
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What was at stake?
2016
Election trends
- See also: School board elections, 2014
Both Mercer County Board of Education seats up for election in 2016 were unopposed. Both incumbents ran to retain their seats, and because no one filed to challenge them, they won another term on the board. The district's 2014 elections also saw no opposition, which guaranteed the three candidates who ran—two incumbents and one newcomer—were elected to the board.
The 100 percent rate of unopposed seats in the district's 2014 and 2016 elections was much higher than the 10.71 percent of seats that were unopposed in school board elections in West Virginia's largest school districts in 2014. That year, the state saw an average 1.86 candidates run per seat, and 42.86 percent of the seats on the ballot went to newcomers.
Issues in the district
Board president resigns
After 17 years on the Mercer County Board of Education, President Gregory S. Prudich resigned from his position in February 2016, leaving a vacancy on the board and an opening for the top leadership position. Prudich left the board in order to pursue a circuit judge position. Gilbert Bailey, member of the board for 21 years, was elected his replacement as president of the board. In order to fill the vacant seat, the board invited interested individuals to apply by February 26, 2016.[12][13]
At their meeting on March 8, 2016, board members appointed Jacinda Santon Smith to the vacant seat. Smith held the seat until the state's general election on November 8, 2016. At that time, the district held a special election to give voters a chance to weigh in on the decision.[14]
Smith was a lifelong resident of Mercer County and a graduate of the district. She had been involved with the district's calendar committee, Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).[14]
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
About the district
- See also: Mercer County Schools, West Virginia
The Mercer County school system is located in Mercer County in southern West Virginia. The county seat is Princeton. Mercer County was home to 61,785 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[15] The district was the ninth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 9,585 students.[16]
Demographics
Mercer County underperformed compared to West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 17.7 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.3 percent of state residents. The median household income in Mercer County was $34,842, compared to $41,043 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 22.2 percent, compared to 17.9 percent statewide.[15]
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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 'Mercer County Schools' 'West Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Mercer County Schools | West Virginia | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Mercer County," February 2, 2016
- ↑ Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "DECISION 2016: State and local election results," May 10, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 West Virginia Election Dates and Deadlines," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the 2016 Ballot," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate District Maps - 2010 Plan," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "House of Delegates District Map," accessed February 18, 2016
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Campaign Finance Report Deadlines," accessed February 24, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Phone communication with Marie Hill, Mercer County Voter Registration Office," May 5, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Best Practices Guide for Campaign Finance," accessed April 4, 2016
- ↑ Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "President of Mercer County BOE resigns to run for public office," February 9, 2016
- ↑ Bluefield Daily Telegraph, "BOE seeks applicants for vacancy," February 18, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 WVVA.com, "New school board member takes oath in Mercer County," March 9, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 United States Census Bureau, "Mercer County, West Virginia," accessed February 8, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Totals," accessed February 8, 2016
| 2016 Mercer County Schools Elections | |
| Mercer County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | May 10, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Paul Hodges • Incumbent, Mary Alice Kaufman |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
