Reading School District elections (2017)
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Four of the nine seats on the Reading School District school board in Pennsylvania were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. A partisan primary election was held on May 16, 2017.
Board incumbent Robin Jacobson and newcomers Noahleen Betts and Ann Sheehan cross-filed to run in both the Democratic and Republican primaries. Incumbent Eddie Moran and newcomer Patricia Wright filed to run in the primary as Democrats. All candidates moved on to the general election. In the general election, Sheehan, Jacobson, Moran, and Wright won election, defeating Betts.[1][2][3]
These candidates could have faced independent candidates in the general election. However, no independent candidate filed by the August 1, 2017, deadline to get on the ballot.[4]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Reading School District school board is composed of nine at-large members elected to four-year, staggered terms. Six seats were up for election on November 3, 2015, and four seats were up for election on November 7, 2017.
Cross-filing
Pennsylvania permits school board candidates to cross-file in primary elections. This means that a candidate may file to run in the primary election for both the Democratic and Republican parties. A cross-filed candidate can advance to the general election by winning one or both of the partisan primaries. This maximizes a candidate’s chances of advancing to the general as they have two ways to win in the primary round. If the candidate wins only one, they face the winner of the other primary in the general election. Cross-filers who win both primaries may still face independent candidates in the general election.
General candidate requirements
To run for a school board in Pennsylvania, one must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and a resident of the school district for at least one year before the election date. To run in this 2017 school board election, partisan candidates had to file for office by March 7, 2017, and independent candidates had to file by August 1, 2017.[5][6]
Voter requirements
To vote in Pennsylvania, a resident must be a U.S. citizen for at least one month and a resident of the district in which he or she is registering for at least 30 days before the election. A voter must be at least 18 years of age by the next election date. The deadline to register to vote before the primary election was April 17, 2017, and the deadline to register to vote before the general election was October 10, 2017.[7]
- See also: Voting in Pennsylvania and Voter identification laws by state
Candidates and results
General election
Results
| Reading School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic/Republican |  Ann Sheehan |
24.38% | 3,336 | |
| Democratic/Republican | Robin Jacobson Incumbent |
23.85% | 3,264 | |
| Democratic | Eddie Moran Incumbent |
19.99% | 2,736 | |
| Democratic | Patricia Wright |
19.91% | 2,725 | |
| Republican | Noahleen Betts | 11.79% | 1,614 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.07% | 9 | ||
| Total Votes | 13,684 | |||
| Source: Berks County, "2017 Municipal General Election - Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed November 8, 2017 These election results are unofficial and will be updated after official vote totals are made available. | ||||
Candidates
 Robin Jacobson 
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 Eddie Moran
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Ann Sheehan
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 Noahleen Betts
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Patricia Wright
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Primary election
Democratic results
| Reading School District, At-Large Democratic Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Ann Sheehan |
22.35% | 1,584 | |
| Democratic | Eddie Moran Incumbent |
21.50% | 1,524 | |
| Democratic | Patricia Wright |
20.62% | 1,461 | |
| Democratic | Robin Jacobson Incumbent |
19.15% | 1,357 | |
| Democratic | Noahleen Betts | 16.26% | 1,152 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.13% | 9 | ||
| Total Votes | 7,087 | |||
| Source: Berks County, "Election Results," accessed June 21, 2017 | ||||
Republican results
| Reading School District, At-Large Republican Primary Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Ann Sheehan |
35.94% | 450 | |
| Republican | Robin Jacobson Incumbent |
33.39% | 418 | |
| Republican | Noahleen Betts |
28.27% | 354 | |
| Write-in votes | 2.4% | 30 | ||
| Total Votes | 1,252 | |||
| Source: Berks County, "Election Results," accessed June 21, 2017 | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Pennsylvania elections, 2017
The Reading School District general election shared the ballot with elections for:[8]
- State judges
- Local trial court judges
- Prothonotary
- Treasurer
- Coroner
- President of council
- City council
- Elections inspector
The Reading School District primary election shared the ballot with primary elections for state judges, Berks County treasurer, coroner, prothonotary, judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and the Reading City Council.[9]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Pennsylvania school board election in 2017:[10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2017 | Partisan candidate filing deadline |
| April 17, 2017 | Deadline to register to vote before the primary election |
| May 16, 2017 | Primary election day |
| August 1, 2017 | Independent candidate filing deadline |
| October 10, 2017 | Deadline to register to vote before the general election |
| November 7, 2017 | General election day |
Endorsements
Jacobson, Sheehan, and Wright received official endorsements from Planned Parenthood.[11]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
| 2017 Campaign Finance Deadlines in Pennsylvania[12] | |
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| Date | Deadline |
| May 5, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Primary report due |
| June 15, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Primary report due |
| October 27, 2017 | 2nd Friday Pre-Election report due |
| December 7, 2017 | 30-Day Post-Election report due |
School board candidates in Pennsylvania were required to report their campaign finance activity. Those who spent or received more than $250 in a reporting period had to file full reports. Those below the threshold had to file forms to declare they were exempt from reporting. Candidates could have, but were not required to, form committees to handle campaign finance transactions. They were not required to have separate bank accounts for campaign purposes.[13]
The table to the left details the four campaign finance deadlines in 2017.[12]
Past elections
Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2015
Four-year terms
Two-year term
2013
This race had a primary election. In the state of Pennsylvania, candidates can cross-file as a Democrat and a Republican. This allows them to run in both parties' primary elections.
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What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
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About the district
- See also: Reading School District, Pennsylvania
The Reading School District is located in Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania. The seat of county government is Reading. Berks County was home to an estimated 414,812 residents between 2010 and 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau. The district was the fourth-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 17,303 students.[14][15]
Demographics
Berks County underperformed in comparison to Pennsylvania as a whole in terms of higher education attainment from 2011 to 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 23.2 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 28.6 percent for state residents. The median household income in the county was $55,936, compared to $53,599 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 12.6 percent, while that rate was 13.2 percent for state residents.[15]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Berks County (%) | Pennsylvania (%) |
| White | 88.4 | 82.6 |
| Black or African American | 6.8 | 11.7 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Asian | 1.6 | 3.4 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 2.2 | 1.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19.4 | 6.8 |
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 Reading School District Pennsylvania election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Reading School District | Pennsylvania | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Berks County, "Official School District Candidates," accessed March 13, 2017
- ↑ Berks County, "Election Results," accessed May 16, 2017
- ↑ Berks County, "2017 Municipal General Election - Unofficial Election Night Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ Berks County, "2017 Official Candidates," accessed October 25, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania School Boards Association, "How to Run for School Board," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ VotesPA, "How to Register," accessed June 10, 2014
- ↑ Berks County, "2017 Official Candidates," accessed November 6, 2017
- ↑ Berks County, "Notice to Voters May 16, 2017 Primary," accessed April 3, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed March 30, 2017
- ↑ Planned Parenthood, "2017 Voter's Guide," accessed November 1, 2017
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Pennsylvania Department of State, "2017 Election Calendar," accessed April 19, 2017
- ↑ Pennsylvania Department of State, "Campaign Finance Reporting Law," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 2010 Census: Quick Facts, "Berks County," accessed March 23, 2017
| Reading School District elections in 2017 | |
| Berks County, Pennsylvania | |
| Election date: | Primary: May 16, 2017 General: November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, Robin Jacobson (D)(R) • Incumbent, Eddie Moran (D) • Ann Sheehan (D)(R) • Noahleen Betts (D)(R) • Patricia Wright (D) |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
