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North Dakota Superintendent of Schools election, 2016
2020 →
← 2012
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June 14, 2016 |
November 8, 2016 |
Kirsten Baesler |
Kirsten Baesler |
Governor and Lt. Governor • Treasurer Down Ballot Auditor • Insurance Commissioner Public Service Commission Superintendent of Schools |
North Dakota
held
an election for superintendent of schools on November 8, 2016. Incumbent Kirsten Baesler won election to a second term.
Overview
As the state's chief education officer, the superintendent manages virtually every aspect of the state's public education system. North Dakota has been under Republican trifecta control since 1995.
Primary contests for nonpartisan elections take the form of a top-two primary, with the top-two vote getters advancing to the general election.
Baesler won the general election on November 8, 2016.
Candidates
Kirsten Baesler
Incumbent superintendent of public instruction since 2013
Joe Chiang
Math and history teacher
Results
General election
Incumbent Kirsten Baesler defeated Joe Chiang in the North Dakota superintendent of schools election.
| North Dakota Superintendent of Schools, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Kirsten Baesler Incumbent |
74.60% | 220,079 | ||
| Joe Chiang | 24.86% | 73,350 | ||
| Write-in votes | 0.54% | 1,598 | ||
| Total Votes | 295,027 | |||
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
Incumbent Kirsten Baesler and Joe Chiang were unopposed in the primary for superintendent.
| Primary for superintendent, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kirsten Baesler Incumbent |
72.03% | 84,515 |
| Joe Chiang |
27.71% | 32,518 |
| Write-in votes | 0.25% | 297 |
| Total Votes (432 of 432 precincts reporting) | 117,330 | |
| Source: North Dakota Secretary of State | ||
Context of the 2016
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. North Dakota utilizes an open primary system, in which voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2][3] In North Dakota, major party candidates are usually nominated or endorsed by the party at the state conventions, which take place prior to the primary elections. Often, candidates who do not receive the endorsements do not file to run in the primary, however that is not mandatory and major party candidates can and do run in the primary regardless of receiving the official party nod.
Primary contests for nonpartisan elections take the form of a top-two primary, with the top-two vote getters advancing to the general election.
North Dakota's primary elections took place on June 14, 2016.
Incumbent Kirsten Baesler
Baesler was first elected as superintendent of public instruction in 2012, defeating Tracy Potter by nine percent. While the position is nonpartisan, Baesler is a member of the Republican Party. She won the support of the Republican Party during the state's 2012 GOP convention, where she defeated Rep. David Monson by a vote of 863-725. Prior to her tenure as superintendent, Baesler worked as an assistant principal and as a library media specialist.
Party control in North Dakota
North Dakota has been under Republican trifecta control since 1995, and Republicans have seen comfortable margins of victory in recent statewide elections. The 2012 Republican Dalrymple/Wrigley ticket for governor won by a nearly 30-point margin.[4] In 2014, Attorney General Stenehjem won a fifth term in office with over 74 percent of the vote.[5]
However, recent elections have also shown that popular Democrats can and do win statewide elections in North Dakota. Most recently, Heidi Heitkamp (D) narrowly defeated her Republican opponent in the United States Senate race in 2012, even as Mitt Romney carried the state by a nearly 20-point margin and Dalrymple was elected governor by an even larger margin.[6] Before Heitkamp, North Dakotans were represented in the United States Senate by Democrat Kent Conrad, who won election five times. During his 1992 re-election bid, he defeated Jack Dalrymple by a 30-point margin.[7][8]
Campaigns
Campaign finance
| Kirsten Baesler Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 12, 2016 | $13,358.33 | $15,200 | $() | $25,860.38 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $15,200 | $(0) | ||||||||
| Joe Chiang Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Pre-Primary | May 13, 2016 | $0 | $2,000 | $() | $1,989.56 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $2,000 | $(0) | ||||||||
Campaign media
Nonpartisan candidates
| Kirsten Baesler |   
|
| Joe Chiang |
|
About the office
- See also: North Dakota Superintendent of Schools
As the state's chief education officer, the superintendent manages virtually every aspect of the state's public education system.[9]
Incumbent
The incumbent was Kirsten Baesler. She was first elected in 2012.[10]
Qualifications
Chapter 15.1-02 of the North Dakota Century Code establishes the qualifications to hold the office of superintendent of public instruction:
| The qualified electors of this state shall elect a superintendent of public instruction at the appropriate general election. The superintendent must be at least twenty-five years of age on the day of the election and have the qualifications of an elector for that office at all times during the superintendent's term of office.[11] |
- qualified North Dakota voter
- at least 25 years old
Authority
The state Constitution establishes the office of superintendent of public instruction in Article V, Section 2:
|
The qualified electors of the state at the times and places of choosing members of the legislative assembly shall choose a governor, lieutenant governor, agriculture commissioner, attorney general, auditor, insurance commissioner, three public service commissioners, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, tax commissioner, and treasurer. ...[11] |
Term length
The four-year term length was established after an initiated constitutional amendment on the 1964 ballot was approved. Prior to this, the term length was two years.[12]
Elections
The superintendent of public instruction in North Dakota is popularly elected every four years, in presidential election years. For North Dakota, 2016, 2020 and 2024 are all superintendent election years. The term of office is four years.[11]
Full history
To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction, click [show] to expand the section. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2012 Incumbent Wayne Sanstead did not seek re-election in 2012. Kirsten Baesler (supported by Republican convention) defeated Tracy Potter (Did not seek Democratic convention support) in the November 6, 2012 general election.
On November 4, 2008, Wayne G. Sanstead won re-election to the office of North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. He defeated Max L. Laird in the general election.
2004 On November 2, 2004, Wayne G. Sanstead won re-election to the office of North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. He defeated Keith Jacobson in the general election.
2000 On November 7, 2000, Wayne G. Sanstead won re-election to the office of North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction. He defeated Ray Holmberg in the general election.
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Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms North Dakota Public Service Commission Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
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North Dakota government: |
Previous elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "NORTH DAKOTA OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD ON NOVEMBER 6, 2012," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Results, General Election - November 4, 2014
- ↑ The New York Times, "Election 2012: North Dakota," accessed August 24, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News, "10 things you didn't know about Kent Conrad," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "OFFICIAL ABSTRACT OF VOTES CAST AT THE SPECIAL ELECTION HELD DECEMBER 4,1992," accessed Aug. 24, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, "About," accessed Oct. 3, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, "State Superintendent," accessed Oct. 3, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Constitution," accessed Oct. 3, 2015
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State Archived Election Results, "Primary Election Results - 1964," accessed March 18, 2014
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