What's on the ballot? - September 8, 2015
September 7, 2015
By Ballotpedia staff Follow @ballotpedia
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| Elections on September 8, 2015 |
| Arkansas |
| Iowa |
| Massachusetts |
| Oklahoma |
Elections for 44 seats and one local ballot measure are taking place in four states—Arkansas, Iowa, Massachusetts and Oklahoma—on Tuesday, September 8. These races include a state legislative special election, municipal primaries, a ballot measure dealing with civil rights and 10 school board elections.
Arkansas:
Voters in Fayetteville head to the polls on Tuesday to decide on a measure that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Ordinance 5781, also called the "Uniform Civil Rights Protection Ordinance," would focus attention on discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. If approved, the ordinance would create exemptions for religious organizations and religious-based schools.[1]
Supporters of Ordinance 5781 argued that it was crafted to address concerns with a previous anti-discrimination ordinance, Ordinance 119, that was repealed by voters in 2014. The city council and other proponents point to the exemptions allowed by the proposed ordinance as a way to protect religious freedom. Opponents argue that Ordinance 5781 is a reworked version of the ordinance rejected by voters in 2014 and contains the same threats to personal freedom on religion.[2]
Iowa:
Regular elections for Iowa's school boards will be held on Tuesday.[3] The 10 Iowa school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections for 41 seats. Des Moines Public Schools, the largest district in the state, will experience some turnover with only one incumbent seeking re-election to four seats. Davenport Community Schools only had three candidates file for four seats as the board deals with budget shortfalls.[4]
Massachusetts:
Boston residents will find primary elections for two city council seats on their September 8 ballots. A total of 13 council seats are up for election in 2015, but primaries were not required for 11 of those seats. District 4 incumbent Charles C. Yancey faces Andrea Joy Campbell and Terrance J. Williams in the primary. Yancey was first elected to the chamber in 1983. District 7 incumbent Tito Jackson is challenged by Charles L. Clemons Jr., Kevin A. Dwire, Haywood Fennell Sr., Althea Garrison and Roy Owens.[5]
Oklahoma:
A special election is taking place for the District 85 seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The winner of the election will fill a vacant seat left by the death of David Dank (R). Republican candidate Chip Carter defeated three other candidates in a July 14 primary and faces Democratic candidate Cyndi Munson. Munson previously ran for the District 85 seat in 2014, losing to Dank by a 12-point margin.[6][7][8]
Note: Click on the links below for more details about each race and election results.
Arkansas
Local ballot measures
- Fayetteville - An ordinance prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Iowa
School boards
- See also: Iowa school board elections, 2015
Iowa's 10 largest school districts by enrollment have seven school board members each.
- Nine districts have four seats up for election:
- One district has five seats up for election: Iowa City Community School District
Massachusetts
Municipal
- Boston - Primary elections for two city council seats
Oklahoma
State legislatures
- Special election for District 85 of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Fayetteville Flyer, "Uniform Civil Rights Protection Ordinance," accessed June 18, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCampaigns - ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Auditor’s Calendar: School Election – September 8, 2015," accessed August 30, 2015
- ↑ KWQC, "Davenport school leaders to consider closing JB Young," August 24, 2015
- ↑ City of Boston, "List of Qualified Candidates," accessed September 2, 2015
- ↑ News OK, "OKC executive wins District 85 GOP primary," accessed July 15, 2015
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Official Results - Special Elections - July," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "List of Candidates," accessed May 8, 2015
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