Voters in Maryland, Utah give thumbs up to incumbents in school board primaries
June 25, 2014
By Nick Katers
School board incumbents in Maryland and Utah shared the good fortunes of their congressional and state legislative colleagues in primary elections on June 24, 2014.
Of the 27 incumbents running in school board primary races covered by Ballotpedia, only Davis board member Peter Cannon was ousted by challengers. Turnout in the Maryland primaries was historically low with a statewide turnout of 22 percent despite a contested gubernatorial primary and primaries for county offices.[1] Utah also experienced light turnout ranging from six percent to 16 percent in Davis County due to sparse primary ballots.[2]
These primary results set up some intriguing races for the general election on November 4, 2014. Races in Calvert County, Charles County and Prince George's County in Maryland pit incumbents against former board members. The Howard County Public Schools election on November 4, 2014, could hinge on voter opinions of the current board's actions toward members past and present. Former member Allen Dyer and current member Cynthia L. Vaillancourt advanced from the primary despite ethics claims made by a four-member majority on the board. This majority includes two-term incumbent Sandra H. French, who finished behind front-runner Vaillancourt but still reached the general election.[3][4]
Candidates
Note: An (i) next to a candidate's name indicates incumbent status.
See also
- School board elections, 2014
- Maryland school board elections, 2014
- Maryland elections, 2014
- Utah school board elections, 2014
- Utah elections, 2014
- School board primaries in Maryland and Utah reveal tensions over ethics, Common Core
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Post, "Voter turnout for the Maryland gubernatorial primary: About 22 percent," June 25, 2014
- ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Voters oust one Utah House incumbent, challenged senator cruises to primary win," June 24, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Howard BOE accuses member Vaillancourt of confidentiality breach," May 8, 2014
- ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "Administrative law judge upholds Dyer impeachment," December 6, 2012
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