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Rochester City School District elections (2017)
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Three of seven seats on the Rochester City School District Board of School Commissioners in New York were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Incumbents Van Henri White and Cynthia Elliot and newcomer Natalie Sheppard defeated Beatriz Lebron.[1] A partisan primary election was held on September 12, 2017.
White, Elliot, and Sheppard defeated Lebron, Cecilia Golden, and Sabrina Lamar in the Democratic primary election. Because Lebron also filed as a member of the Working Families Party and the Independence Party, she advanced to the general election despite losing the Democratic primary election. White and Sheppard also filed under the Working Families Party, and Sheppard filed as a member of the Women's Equality Party.[2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Rochester City Board of School Commissioners consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. They are elected at large on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years.[4] Three seats were on the ballot in 2017. The primary election was held on September 12, 2017, and the general election was held on November 7, 2017.[5]
In order to run for a school board in New York, candidates had to be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, qualified voters in the school district, and able to read and write. Most school districts required that they be residents of their districts continuously for one year, although that residency requirement can vary from 30 days to three years. Candidates had to submit nominating petitions to their district clerk. Petitions had to be signed by at least 25 qualified district voters or two percent of the number of voters in the previous annual election, whichever number was greater.[6]
In order to vote in this school board election in 2017, voters had to be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old by the election day, and have lived at their current address for at least 30 days prior to the election. Voters in New York were not required to present identification at the polls.[7]
- See also: Voting in New York and Voter identification laws by state
Cross-filing
New York allows school board candidates to cross-file in primary elections. This means that a candidate may file to run in the primary election for multiple parties. A cross-filed candidate can advance to the general election by winning one or more of the partisan primaries. This maximizes a candidate’s chances of advancing to the general as they have multiple ways to win in the primary round. If the candidate wins only one, they face the winners of the other primaries in the general election. Cross-filers who win all primaries may still face independent candidates in the general election.
Candidates and results
At-large general election
Results
| Rochester City School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Cross-filed (3) |  Natalie Sheppard |
32.08% | 20,890 | |
| Cross-filed (2) | Van Henri White Incumbent |
31.93% | 20,794 | |
| Democratic | Cynthia Elliot Incumbent |
25.81% | 16,808 | |
| Cross-filed (2) | Beatriz Lebron | 10.17% | 6,624 | |
| Total Votes | 65,116 | |||
| Source: Monroe County Board of Elections, "2017 General Election Certification," accessed December 6, 2017 | ||||
| FULL BY-PARTY RESULTS: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Van Henri White Incumbent | 27.1% | 17,663 | |
| Democratic | Cynthia Elliot Incumbent | 25.8% | 16,808 | |
| Democratic | Natalie Sheppard | 25.8% | 16,816 | |
| Working Families | Van Henri White Incumbent | 4.8% | 3,131 | |
| Working Families | Natalie Sheppard | 4.9% | 3,208 | |
| Working Families | Beatriz Lebron | 7.8% | 5,087 | |
| Women's Equality | Natalie Sheppard | 1.3% | 866 | |
| Independence | Beatriz Lebron | 2.4% | 1,537 | |
Candidates
 Van Henri White 
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 Cynthia Elliot
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 Beatriz Lebron
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Natalie Sheppard
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At-large Democratic primary
Results
| Rochester City School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Cross-filed (2) | Van Henri White Incumbent |
23.69% | 10,692 | |
| Democratic | Cynthia Elliot Incumbent |
21.66% | 9,776 | |
| Cross-filed (3) | Natalie Sheppard |
15.50% | 6,995 | |
| Democratic | Cecilia Golden | 13.87% | 6,259 | |
| Cross-filed (3) | Beatriz Lebron | 13.72% | 6,194 | |
| Democratic | Sabrina Lamar | 11.28% | 5,093 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.28% | 126 | ||
| Total Votes | 45,135 | |||
| Source: Monroe County, New York, "Democratic Party Primary Certification," accessed September 29, 2017 | ||||
Candidates
| Van Henri White
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Cynthia Elliot
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Beatriz Lebron
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| Natalie Sheppard
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Cecilia Golden
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Sabrina Lamar
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: New York elections, 2017
The Rochester City School District Board of Commissioners election shared the ballot with Monroe County municipal elections.[8]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this New York school board election in 2017:[9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 13, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline for primary election |
| August 15, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline for independent candidates |
| August 18, 2017 | Deadline to register to vote for primary election |
| October 13, 2017 | Deadline to register to vote for general election |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
Endorsements
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
| 2017 Campaign Finance Deadlines in New York[10] | |
|---|---|
| Date | Deadline |
| August 11, 2017 | First report due (pre-primary) |
| September 1, 2017 | Second report due (pre-primary) |
| September 22, 2017 | Third report due (post-primary) |
| October 06, 2017 | First report due (pre-general) |
| October 27, 2017 | Second report due (pre-general) |
| December 04, 2017 | Third report due (post-general) |
All school board candidates in New York who raised or spent more than $50 were required to file campaign finance reports. If candidates raised or spent less than $1,000 they were required to file with their city or county's board of elections. If they raised or spent over $1,000, they had file with the New York State Board of Elections. Candidates who raised or spent less than $50 (including their own personal funds) did not have to file any reports, but they were required to file an exemption statement with the appropriate board of elections.[11]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in the Rochester City School District, click here.
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: Rochester City School District, New York
The Rochester City School District is located in Monroe County in western New York. The county seat of Monroe County is Rochester. Monroe County was home to 749,857 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[12] The district was the third-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 30,014 students.[13]
Demographics
Monroe County outperformed the rest of New York in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 35.8 percent of Monroe County residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 33.2 percent for New York as a whole. The median household income in Monroe County was $52,394, compared to $58,003 for the entire state. The poverty rate in Monroe County was 15.0 percent, compared to 15.3 percent statewide.[12]
| Racial Demographics, 2014[12] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Monroe County (%) | New York (%) |
| White | 77.3 | 70.4 |
| Black or African American | 16.1 | 17.6 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 3.6 | 8.5 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 8.1 | 18.6 |
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 Rochester City School District New York election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Rochester City School District | New York | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Monroe County Board of Elections, "2017 Monroe General Election, Commissioner of Schools," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available.
- ↑ Monroe County, New York, "September 12, 2017 Monroe County Primary Unofficial Results," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ Monroe County Board of Elections, "Reporting of Designating Petitions Filed by Party and Office Name," July 13, 2017
- ↑ Rochester City School District, "Policy 2100: School Board Legal Status," accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ New York State Election Commissioners Association, "State of New York 2017 Election Law," accessed July 13, 2017
- ↑ New York State School Boards Association, "Running for the School Board," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Register to Vote," accessed May 5, 2017
- ↑ Monroe County Board of Elections, "Report of Designating Petitions Filed by Party and Office Name," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "2017 Political Calendar," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfinance - ↑ New York Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed May 8, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 United States Census Bureau, "Monroe County, New York," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ 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
| Rochester City School District elections in 2017 | |
| Monroe County, New York | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: Incumbent, Van Henri White • Incumbent, Cynthia Elliot • Beatriz Lebron • Natalie Sheppard • Cecilia Golden • Sabrina Lamar |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
