Socorro Independent School District elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Socorro Independent School District board of trustees in Texas were up for general election on May 6, 2017. In their bids for re-election to the board, District 2 incumbent Cynthia Najera, District 3 incumbent Angelica Rodriguez, and District 5 incumbent Gary Gandara were unopposed. Because of this, the races for those seats were canceled, and the three incumbents were re-elected to their seats by default. In the one contested race, District 4 incumbent Paul Guerra defeated challengers David Morales and Dennis Redd.[1][2][3]
All four incumbents whose terms were up for election ran to retain their seats in 2017, just as incumbents did in the district's 2015 election. Every incumbent won re-election both years. Click here to read more about election trends in the district.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Socorro Independent board of trustees consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Five members are elected by district, and two members are elected at large. Elections are held on a staggered basis in May of odd-numbered years. Three seats—one by-district and two at-large—were up for election on May 9, 2015, and four by-district seats were up for election on May 6, 2017.[4]
To qualify for the ballot, board candidates had to be at least 18 years old, U.S. citizens, registered voters, and residents of the board of trustees district they sought to represent. 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.[5]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by April 6, 2017.[6]
District 2
Results
This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Cynthia Najera won re-election to the board by default.[2]
Candidates
Cynthia Najera 
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District 3
Results
This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Angelica Rodriguez won re-election to the board by default.[2]
Candidates
| Angelica Rodriguez
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District 4
Results
| Socorro Independent School District, District 4 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Paul Guerra Incumbent |
50.15% | 330 |
| Dennis Redd | 25.38% | 167 |
| David Morales | 24.47% | 161 |
| Total Votes | 658 | |
| Source: El Paso County Elections, "May 6, 2017 - Official Final Election Results," accessed June 6, 2017 | ||
Candidates
| Paul Guerra
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David Morales | Dennis Redd | |||
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District 5
Results
This election was canceled due to lack of opposition. Incumbent Gary Gandara won re-election to the board by default.[2]
Candidates
| Gary Gandara
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Texas elections, 2017
The Socorro Independent board of trustees election shared the ballot with municipal elections in El Paso County.[7]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the Socorro 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
District 4 challenger Dennis Redd was endorsed by the Local 51 Fire Fighter Union, CLEAT, and the El Paso County Sheriff's Officers Association.[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 $7,628.00 and spent a total of $8,637.47 as of April 28, 2017, according to the Socorro Independent School District.[13]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 2 | |||
| Cynthia Najera | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 2 | |||
| Angelica Rodriguez | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 4 | |||
| Paul Guerra | $5,378.00 | $3,502.42 | $1,875.58 |
| David Morales | $1,000.00 | $3,424.12 | ($2,424.12) |
| Dennis Redd | $1,250.00 | $1,710.93 | ($460.93) |
| District 5 | |||
| Gary Gandara | $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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2015District 1 (one seat)
At-large (two seats)
2013District 1
District 2Cynthia Najera was unopposed for the District 2 seat. She was declared elected to a four-year term by the board on March 26, 2013.[14] District 3Angelica Rodriguez was unopposed for the District 3 seat. She was declared elected to a four-year term by the board on March 26, 2013.[14] District 4Paul Guerra was unopposed for the District 2 seat. He was declared elected to a four-year term by the board on March 26, 2013.[14] District 5Gary Gandara was unopposed for the District 2 seat. He was declared elected to a four-year term by the board on March 26, 2013.[14] 2011At-largeThe 2011 election for two at-large seats was canceled as incumbents Antonio Ayub and Michael Najera were the only two candidates to file for the race.[15] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What was at stake?
2017
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
Every Socorro Independent board of trustees incumbent whose seat was up for re-election in 2017 ran to retain his or her seat, just as they did in the 2015 election. Every incumbent won re-election both years. In 2015, two incumbents defeated challengers, and one won re-election unopposed. In 2017, three won additional terms unopposed, and one defeated two challengers.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Socorro Independent School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 1.50 | 75.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2015 | 1.67 | 33.33% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Texas | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.69 | 48.62% | 77.98% | 83.53% | 34.40% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Candidate survey
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About the district
The Socorro Independent School District is located in El Paso County in western Texas. The county seat is El Paso. El Paso County was home to an estimated 835,593 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[16] The district was the 24th-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 44,561 students.[17]
Demographics
El Paso County underperformed compared to Texas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 21.3 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 El Paso County during that time period was $41,637, compared to $53,207 statewide. The poverty rate in the county was 20.3 percent, while it was 15.9 percent for the entire state.[16]
| Racial Demographics, 2011-2015[16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | El Paso County (%) | Texas (%) |
| White | 91.9 | 79.7 |
| Black or African American | 4.1 | 12.5 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 1.4 | 4.7 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 1.4 | 1.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 81.3 | 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 Socorro Independent School District Texas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Socorro Independent School District | Texas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Board of Trustees Election: May 6, 2017," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 El Paso County Elections Department, "Sample Ballot: Socorro ISD (PDF)," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "May 6, 2017 - Uniform Election Unofficial Final Election Results," accessed May 6, 2017
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Socorro ISD Board of Trustees," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Board Members Eligibility/Qualifications," accessed February 21, 2017
- ↑ Dallas County Elections, "Joint Election- Saturday, May 6, 2017," accessed February 20, 2017
- ↑ El Paso County Elections Department, "Current Election: May 2017 Uniform Election," accessed April 12, 2017
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, "2017 Filing Schedule For Reports Due In Connection With Elections Held On Uniform Election Dates," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ El Paso County Elections Department, "Current Election: May 2017 Uniform Election," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Dennis Redd For SISD School Board Trustee District 4, "Endorsements," accessed April 20, 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
- ↑ Socorro Independent School District, "Candidate/Officeholder Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 1, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Socorro Independent School District, "MINUTES REGULAR BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING," May 21, 2013
- ↑ El Paso County Elections, "Socorro Independent School District Bond Election: May 14, 2011, Sample Ballot," April 5, 2011
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: El Paso 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
| Socorro Independent School District elections in 2017 | |
| El Paso County, Texas | |
| Election date: | May 6, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 2: • Incumbent, Cynthia Najera District 3: • Incumbent, Angelica Rodriguez District 4: • Incumbent, Paul Guerra • David Morales • Dennis Redd District 5: • Incumbent, Gary Gandara |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
