Raleigh County Schools special election (2014)

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2014 Raleigh County Schools Special Election

* * *

Special Election date:
November 4, 2014
Table of Contents
About the district
Method of election
Elections
What was at stake?
Key deadlines
Additional elections
External links
See also
West Virginia
Raleigh County Schools
Raleigh County, West Virginia ballot measures
Local ballot measures, West Virginia

One seat on the Raleigh County Schools Board of Education was up for special election on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Linda Polly, who was appointed to replace former member Sally Susman after she resigned from the board due to health reasons in June 2014, ran against challengers Jack "Gordie" Roop, Marsha K. Smith and Steve Finch. Roop, a former member of the board who served from 2008 to 2012, won the election.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 About the district
* 1.1 Demographics
* 2 Voter and candidate information
* 3 Elections
* 3.1 2014
* 3.1.1 Candidates
* 3.1.2 Election results
* 3.2 Past elections
* 3.2.1 2014
* 3.2.2 2012
* 4 Key deadlines
* 5 Additional elections on the ballot
* 6 Recent news
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

## About the district[edit]

See also: Raleigh County Schools, West Virginia

Raleigh County Schools is located in Raleigh County, W.Va.

The Raleigh County school system is located in Raleigh County in southern West Virginia. The county seat is Beckley. Raleigh County was home to 78,241 residents in 2014, according to the United States Census Bureau.[3] The district was the fourth-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 12,568 students.[4]

### Demographics[edit]

Raleigh County underperformed compared to West Virginia as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 17.0 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 18.3 percent of state residents. The median household income in Raleigh County was $40,758, compared to $41,043 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 17.1 percent, compared to 17.9 percent statewide.[3]

|  Racial Demographics, 2014[3]

Race  | Raleigh County (%)  | West Virginia (%)
White | 88.7 | 93.7
Black or African American | 8.2 | 3.6
American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3 | 0.2
Asian | 1.0 | 0.8
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0 | 0.0
Two or More Races | 1.7 | 1.6
Hispanic or Latino | 1.5 | 1.5

|  2013 Raleigh County Party Affiliation[5]

Party  | Registered Voters  | % of Total
Democratic | 29,245 | 53.1
Republican | 15,006 | 27.2
Mountain | 41 | 0.1
Other | 355 | 0.6
No Party | 10,448 | 18.9

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.

## Voter and candidate information[edit]

The Raleigh County Board of Education consists of five members elected to four-year terms. Board members are elected at large, but they represent different geographical districts. No more than two members elected from any district may serve on the board during a given term. Primary elections are not used in West Virginia school board elections.[6] Three seats were up for general election on May 13, 2014, and one seat was up for special election on November 4, 2014, due to a vacancy on the board.[7]

## Elections[edit]

### 2014[edit]

#### Candidates[edit]

* Linda Polly
* Incumbent
* Jack "Gordie" Roop
* Former board member, 2008-2012
* Marsha K. Smith
* Steve Finch

#### Election results[edit]

Raleigh County Schools,
At-Large Special Election, 2-year term, 2014 Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan  | Jack "Gordie" Roop | 37.8% | 6,753
| Nonpartisan  |  Marsha K. Smith | 30% | 5,356
| Nonpartisan  |  Linda Polly Incumbent | 18.7% | 3,333
| Nonpartisan  |  Steve Finch | 13.5% | 2,419
Total Votes | 17,861
Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Results by county in Southern West Virginia races," November 4, 2014

### Past elections[edit]

Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right.

|

#### 2014

See also: Raleigh County Schools elections (2014)
Raleigh County Schools,
At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2014 | Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan  | Charlotte Hutchens | 23.8% | 4,601
| Nonpartisan  | Larry D. Ford Incumbent | 18.4% | 3,562
| Nonpartisan  | Cindy Jafary Incumbent | 17.3% | 3,352
| Nonpartisan  |  Marsha K. Smith | 10.9% | 2,108
| Nonpartisan  |  Al Martine | 12.3% | 2,387
| Nonpartisan  |  John P. Fernald | 9.7% | 1,873
| Nonpartisan  |  Jim Fraley | 7.6% | 1,467
Total Votes | 19,350
Source: West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed June 23, 2014

#### 2012

Raleigh County Schools,
At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2012 Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes

|
|
|

| Nonpartisan  | Richard Snuffer II | 34.4% | 6,134
| Nonpartisan  | Sally Susman | 24.2% | 4,316
| Nonpartisan  |  George Wood, Jr.  | 24% | 4,273
| Nonpartisan  |  Stephen W. Finch  | 17.4% | 3,098
Total Votes | 17,821
Source: West Virginia Secretary of State, "Primary Election- May 8, 2012," accessed April 18, 2014

## Key deadlines[edit]

The following dates were key deadlines for the Raleigh County Board of Education special election in 2014:

Deadline  | Event

|

October 14, 2014 | Voter registration deadline
November 4, 2014 | Election Day

## Additional elections on the ballot[edit]

See also: West Virginia elections, 2014

The Raleigh County Board of Education special election shared the ballot with elections for one U.S. Senate seat, the District 3 seat on the U.S. House of Representatives, the District 9 seat on the West Virginia State Senate, the District 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 seats on the West Virginia House of Delegates and one seat on the Raleigh County Commission.[8]

## Recent news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Raleigh County Schools' 'West Virginia'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Raleigh County Schools special election (2014) - Google News

## See also[edit]

* West Virginia
* Raleigh County Schools, West Virginia
* Raleigh County Schools elections (2014)
* West Virginia school board elections, 2014
* List of school board elections in 2014
* School board elections, 2014
* Raleigh County, West Virginia ballot measures
* Local ballot measures, West Virginia

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* Raleigh County Schools
* Raleigh County
* West Virginia Secretary of State

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ The Register-Herald, "Roop wants 2nd term on school board," August 6, 2014
2. ↑ Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Results by county in Southern West Virginia races," November 4, 2014
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 United States Census Bureau, "Raleigh County, West Virginia," accessed February 9, 2016
4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
5. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "West Virginia Voter Registration," accessed April 15, 2014
6. ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Chapter 18. Education: Article 5. County Board Of Education," accessed February 1, 2016
7. ↑ Raleigh County Schools, "Board of Education," accessed April 18, 2014
8. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Raleigh County Results General Election - November 4, 2014," accessed March 8, 2016

2014 Raleigh County Schools Special Election

Raleigh County, West Virginia
Election date:| May 13, 2014
Candidates:| At-large: • Incumbent, Linda Polly • Steve Finch • Jack "Gordie" Roop • Marsha K. Smith
Important information:| Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot

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State of West Virginia
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