Elkhart Community Schools elections (2016)
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Four of the seven seats on the Elkhart Community Schools school board were up for general election on November 8, 2016. Three seats were elected by district and one was elected at large. District A incumbent Susan Daiber filed for re-election and ran unopposed, winning another term on the board. District C incumbent Dorisanne Nielsen did not file for re-election, and two vied for the open seat: Ralph Spelbring and at-large representative Douglas Weaver. Weaver won the spot on the board. In District D, incumbent Carolyn Morris filed for an additional term and defeated challengers McNeal Stewart III and Johnny Thomas. The at-large seat attracted four newcomers: Daniel Kmitta, Tanzie Nielsen, Louis Pace, and Rodney Dale. Dale emerged victorious. There was no primary.[1][2][3]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Elkhart Community Schools school board is composed of a seven-member board elected both at large and by district to four-year terms. There was no primary election, and a general election was held November 8, 2016.
In order to run in this school board race, candidates had to reside in the school district for at least one year before the election, be registered to vote in the district he or she sought to represent, and be at least 21 years of age. Additionally, no teacher or non-certified employee of a school district was permitted to be a member of its school board.
To appear on the ballot, candidates had to file a statement of economic interest and a petition of nomination by August 26, 2016. In a metropolitan school district, the petition had to be signed by ten registered voters residing in the same board member district as the nominee, whereas in a community school corporation, the petition had to be signed by ten registered voters residing within the boundaries of the school corporation.[4]
Candidates and results
District A
Results
| Elkhart Community Schools, District A General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Susan Daiber Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% | 4,441 |
| Total Votes (100) | 4,441 | |
| Source: Elkhart County, "Official Summary Results," accessed November 29, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Susan Daiber | |
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District C
Results
| Elkhart Community Schools, District C General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Douglas Weaver |
71.10% | 2,657 |
| Ralph Spelbring | 28.90% | 1,080 |
| Total Votes (100) | 3,737 | |
| Source: Elkhart County, "Official Summary Results," accessed November 29, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Ralph Spelbring | Douglas Weaver | ||
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District D
Results
| Elkhart Community Schools, District D General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Carolyn Morris Incumbent |
54.95% | 1,410 |
| Johnny Thomas | 23.11% | 593 |
| McNeal Stewart III | 21.94% | 563 |
| Total Votes (100) | 2,566 | |
| Source: Elkhart County, "Official Summary Results," accessed November 29, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Carolyn Morris |
McNeal Stewart III | Johnny Thomas | |||
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At-Large
Results
| Elkhart Community Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Rodney Dale |
49.56% | 8,361 |
| Tanzie Nielsen | 24.79% | 4,182 |
| Daniel Kmitta | 15.04% | 2,537 |
| Louis Pace | 10.62% | 1,792 |
| Total Votes (100) | 16,872 | |
| Source: Elkhart County, "Official Summary Results," accessed November 29, 2016 | ||
Candidates
| Daniel Kmitta | Tanzie Nielsen | ||
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| Louis Pace | Rodney Dale | ||
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Indiana elections, 2016
The following offices shared the general election date with this Indiana school board election:
One state ballot measure was also scheduled to appear on the general election ballot: the Indiana Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment.
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for this Indiana school board election in 2016:[5]
| Deadline | Event |
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| July 27, 2016 | First day to file nominating petitions |
| August 26, 2016 | Last day to file nominating petitions |
| October 11, 2016 | Deadline to register to vote in the general election |
| October 21, 2016 | Deadline to file pre-general election campaign finance reports |
| November 8, 2016 | General election day |
Endorsements
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
School board candidates in Indiana who received more than $500 in contributions or made more than $500 in expenditures had to have a principal committee. A principal committee is authorized by the candidate it represents to accept contributions and make expenditures on his or her behalf. The committee also helps to promote the candidate in the election. Each committee was required to have a chairperson and a treasurer. Any expenditures made by the committee had to be authorized by one of these two members.
Once the $500 threshold was reached, the candidate had to also file a Statement of Organization form no later than noon, 10 days after the candidate exceeded the limit. The requirement to form a principal committee and file a statement of organization was lifted for candidates who did not meet the $500 threshold requirement. The pre-election report was due October 21, 2016, and the annual report was due January 18, 2017.[6]
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: Elkhart Community Schools, Indiana
Elkhart Community Schools is located in Elkhart County in northern Indiana. The county seat is Goshen. Elkhart County was home to 203,474 residents between 2010 and 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[7] The district was the 28th-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 13,070 students.[8]
Demographics
Elkhart County underperformed compared to Indiana as a whole in terms of higher education attainment from 2010 to 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 17.9 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 23.6 percent for state residents. The median household income for the county was $46,983, compared to $48,737 for the state. County residents lived below the poverty level at a rate of 13.9 percent, while that rate was 14.5 percent for state residents.[7]
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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 'Elkhart Community Schools' 'Indiana'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Elkhart Community Schools | Indiana | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Elkhart County Clerk, "List of Candidates," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ Elkhart Community Schools, "Board of School Trustees," accessed August 29, 2016
- ↑ Elkhart County, "Election Summary Report," accessed November 9, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "2016 Candidate Guide," accessed September 23, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "Calendar," accessed September 1, 2016
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "2016 Indiana Campaign Finance Manual," accessed October 7, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 United States Census Bureau, "Elkhart County, Indiana," accessed September 26, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ Indiana Election Division, "Election Results," accessed September 3, 2014
| 2016 Elkhart Community Schools Elections | |
| Election date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Candidates: | District A: Incumbent, Susan Daiber District C: Ralph Spelbring • Douglas Weaver |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
