Texas elections, 2015

2016 → ← 2014 The state of Texas held elections in 2015. Below are the dates of note: 2015 elections and events in Texas. First day to apply for absentee ballot for primary election March 10, 2015 Deadline for voter registration for primary election April 9, 2015 First day of early voting for primary election April 27, 2015 Deadline to apply for absentee ballot for primary election April 30, 2015 Last day of early voting for primary election May 5, 2015 Election day May 9, 2015 First day to apply for absentee ballot for general election September 4, 2015 Deadline for voter registration for general election October 5, 2015 First day of early voting for general election October 19, 2015 Last day to apply for absentee ballot for general election October 23, 2015 Last day of early voting for general election October 30, 2015 Election day November 3, 2015 Races to watch School boards Sharyland Independent School District See also: Sharyland Independent School District elections (2015) Two seats on the Sharyland Independent School District Board of Trustees were up for general election on May 9, 2015. Both seats were vacant since neither incumbent filed to run for re-election. Two candidates competed for the Place 3 seat, while four newcomers ran for the Place 4 seat. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) was investigating complaints of questionable business practices at Sharyland ISD at the time of the election. The district stated that it would fully cooperate with the investigation. During the election, the TEA was unwilling to detail the cause for its investigation due to it still being underway. One local media report indicated that investigation was spurred by questions regarding the district's bidding and purchasing processes. On September 29, 2014, the board voted five to two to accept the resignation of Superintendent Virginia Richter. Trustees Eddie Montalvo and Rolando Peña were the only dissenting votes. Filomena Leo, former superintendent of La Joya Independent School District and former trustee for South Texas Independent School District, was appointed to serve as interim superintendent. Richter's resignation marked the district's second in less than three years. Her predecessor, Scott Owings, resigned in February 2012 due to allegations that he sexually harassed two female school officials at a Texas Association of School Administrators conference. The circumstances surrounding Richter's resignation were questioned by some community members. The board had recently conducted a climate survey of those holding leadership positions in the district, and the results of that survey were reported in open session at the board meeting on September 23, 2014. The survey report described overall employee satisfaction with school leadership as "very poor," and many stated they would consider employment outside of the district if things did not change. Local ballot measures Local ballot measures of note in: San Antonio: Streetcar projects, council member salaries and sales taxes El Paso: Firefighter collective bargaining questions, including salaries, benefits and drug testing Arlington: Red light camera ban Houston: Anti-discrimination ordinance veto referendum Elections by type School boards See also: School board elections, 2015 and Texas school board elections, 2015 A total of 80 Texas school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections in 2015 for 218 seats. Board elections in 69 districts were held on May 9, 2015. The remaining 11 districts held their elections on November 3, 2015. Here are several quick facts about Texas's school board elections in 2015: The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Houston Independent School District with 203,354 K-12 students. The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Canyon Independent School District with 9,224 K-12 students. Eight districts were tied for the most seats on the ballot in 2015 with four seats up for election in each district. Thirty-seven districts were tied for the fewest seats on the ballot in 2015 with two seats up for election in each district. The districts listed below served 2,723,097 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections. 2015 Texas School Board Elections District Date Seats up for election Total board seats Student enrollment Allen Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 19,894 Alvin Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 18,886 Amarillo Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 33,327 Arlington Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 65,001 Bastrop Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 9,302 Belton Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 9,932 Birdville Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 24,190 Brazosport Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 12,542 Burleson Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 10,581 Canyon Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 9,224 Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 26,385 Clear Creek Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 39,635 Comal Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 18,693 Coppell Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 10,999 Crowley Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 15,060 Dallas Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 9 158,932 Deer Park Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 12,826 Denton Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 25,775 Dickinson Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 9,746 Duncanville Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 13,271 Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 17,728 Ector County Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 29,649 El Paso Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 63,210 Fort Bend Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 69,591 Fort Worth Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 9 83,503 Frisco Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 42,707 Galena Park Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 22,113 Garland Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 58,059 Georgetown Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 10,370 Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 21,821 Grand Prairie Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 26,921 Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 13,388 Harlandale Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 15,175 Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 18,509 Hays Consolidated Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 16,568 Humble Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 37,095 Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 21,814 Irving Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 35,030 Judson Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 22,606 Katy Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 64,562 Keller Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 33,367 Killeen Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 41,756 Lamar Consolidated Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 26,135 Leander Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 34,381 Lewisville Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 52,528 Magnolia Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 11,990 Mansfield Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 32,879 McAllen Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 24,931 McKinney Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 24,443 Mesquite Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 39,127 Northside Independent School District 5/9/2015 4 7 100,159 Northwest Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 17,811 Pasadena Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 53,665 Pearland Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 19,650 Pflugerville Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 23,347 Plano Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 55,185 Richardson Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 38,043 Rockwall Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 14,486 San Angelo Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 14,758 San Antonio Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 54,268 San Benito Consolidated Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 11,171 Sharyland Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 10,232 Socorro Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 44,259 Southwest Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 13,024 Spring Branch Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 34,857 Tyler Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 18,263 Victoria Independent School District 5/9/2015 2 7 14,513 Waco Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 15,221 Ysleta Independent School District 5/9/2015 3 7 43,680 Aldine Independent School District 11/3/2015 4 7 65,684 Alief Independent School District 11/3/2015 3 7 45,783 Bryan Independent School District 11/3/2015 2 7 15,624 College Station Independent School District 11/3/2015 2 7 11,178 Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District 11/3/2015 4 7 110,013 Houston Independent School District 11/3/2015 4 9 203,354 Klein Independent School District 11/3/2015 3 7 47,045 Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District 11/3/2015 3 7 10,424 New Caney Independent School District 11/3/2015 3 7 11,551 Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City Independent School District 11/3/2015 4 7 13,594 Spring Independent School District 11/3/2015 2 7 36,098 Municipal See also United States municipal elections, 2015#Texas Local ballot measures See also Local ballot measures, Texas May 9, 2015 ballot measures in Texas November 3, 2015 ballot measures in Texas - Houston anti-discrimination HERO ordinance veto referendum Voting information Links related to voting in Texas: For an overview and information on deadlines and updates to voting laws, please visit voting in Texas. For information on ballot access and signature requirements, please visit our page on ballot access requirements for political candidates in Texas. For information about absentee eligibility and military and overseas voting, please visit our absentee voting by state page. For information on early voting (if applicable), please visit our page on early voting by state. For information on online voter registration (if applicable), please visit our page on online voter registration in the 50 states. Primary information A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Texas utilizes an open primary system. Voters do not have to register with a party in advance in order to participate in that party's primary. The voter must sign a pledge stating the following (the language below is taken directly from state statutes) “ The following pledge shall be placed on the primary election ballot above the listing of candidates' names: 'I am a (insert appropriate political party) and understand that I am ineligible to vote or participate in another political party's primary election or convention during this voting year.' ” For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article. Historical voter turnout 2014 In 2014, Texas saw 28.3 percent of eligible voters turnout to vote for the highest office on the ballot in the November general election. 2012 In 2012, Texas saw 49.6 percent of eligible voters turnout to vote for the highest office on the ballot in the November general election and 12.8 percent in the primary election. See also Elections portal Elections and events calendar Voter guides State Blue Books State Poll Opening and Closing Times State Election Result Canvassing State voter ID laws Voting in Texas Absentee voting Early voting Online voter registration Election terms and definitions Recent news This section links to a Google news search for the term "Texas + elections + 2015" Texas elections news feed Footnotes