Mercer County Schools special election (2016)
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One seat on the Mercer County Schools Board of Education was up for special election on November 8, 2016. In her bid for re-election, appointed incumbent Jacinda Santon Smith defeated newcomer M.C. "Skip" Crane Jr. and former board member Gregory Prudich to win another term.[1][2][3]
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.[4] Two seats were up for general election on May 10, 2016, and one seat was up for special election on November 8, 2016, due to an appointment to the board.[1]
To get on the ballot, candidates had to file with the Mercer County Election Office between August 1, 2016, and August 23, 2016.[5]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Mercer County Schools, At-Large Special Election, 2-Year Term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jacinda Santon Smith Incumbent |
41.72% | 8,878 |
| Gregory Prudich | 35.56% | 7,567 |
| M.C. "Skip" Crane Jr. | 22.64% | 4,818 |
| Write-in votes | 0.08% | 17 |
| Total Votes | 21,280 | |
| Source: Mercer County Election Office, "View 2016 Official General," accessed December 8, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Jacinda Santon Smith 
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M.C. "Skip" Crane Jr. | Gregory Prudich | |||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The Mercer County Schools special election shared the ballot with general elections for president, governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, auditor, and agricultural commissioner. It also shared the ballot with general elections for the state's 3rd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, the District 6 seat in the West Virginia State Senate, and the District 25, 26, and 27 seats in the West Virginia House of Delegates.[6]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Mercer County Schools special election in 2016:[5][7]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| August 1, 2016 - August 23, 2016 | Candidate filing period |
| September 30, 2016 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
| November 8, 2016 | Election Day |
| December 19, 2016 | Campaign finance reporting deadline |
Endorsements
No candidates received official endorsements in the election.
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
At the time of this election, the Mercer County Election Office did not publish school board candidate campaign finance reports online. Ballotpedia staff directly requested this information, but the county did not provide it.
Past elections
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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Candidate survey
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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 61,164 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[8] The district was the ninth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 9,585 students.[9]
Demographics
Mercer County underperformed compared to West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 19 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.7 percent of state residents. The median household income in Mercer County was $35,678, compared to $41,576 for the entire state. The percentage of people in poverty in the county was 20.5 percent, compared to 18.3 percent statewide.[8]
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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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WVVA.com, "New school board member takes oath in Mercer County," March 9, 2016
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Mercer County Election Office," August 24, 2016
- ↑ WVVA.com, "Decision 2016: Election Results," November 8, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Mercer County," August 2, 2016
- ↑ Mercer County Election Office, "What's on the ballot," accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfinancedeadlines - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 United States Census Bureau, "Mercer County, West Virginia," accessed August 24, 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 Special Election | |
| Mercer County, West Virginia | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Jacinda Santon Smith • M.C. "Skip" Crane Jr. • Gregory Prudich |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
