Sun Prairie Area School District elections (2018)

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2019
2017
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Sun Prairie Area School District elections

General election date
April 3, 2018
Enrollment ('15-'16)
8,107 students

Two of the seven seats on the Sun Prairie Area School District school board in Wisconsin were up for at-large general election on April 3, 2018. Incumbent Marta Hansen did not file for re-election, leaving one open seat. Incumbent Marilyn Ruffin and newcomer Bryn Horton defeated candidate Paul Kudrle.[1][2]

A higher average number of candidates filed to run in the 2018 race compared to the district's previous three elections. Click here for more election trends in the district.

Elections

Voter and candidate information

Sun Prairie Area School District seal.png

The Sun Prairie Area school board is composed of seven members elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis. All members are elected at large, and elections are held every year.[3]

School board candidates in Wisconsin had to be U.S. citizens, at least 18 years old, and residents of the school district for a minimum of 28 consecutive days before filing as a candidate. They also could not be disqualified from voting under Wisconsin law.[4]

To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination papers with the school district clerk by January 2, 2018. If incumbents whose terms were up for re-election did not file to run in the race and did not file written notification that they would not be running, the candidate filing deadline could have been extended until January 5, 2018. The terms of candidates elected in the race started on April 23, 2018.[4]

Voter registration

See also: Voting in Wisconsin and Voter identification laws by state

To vote in Wisconsin, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state for at least 10 days prior to the election. A voter must be at least 18 years old.[5][6][7] One can register to vote by mail, online, or in person. For voters registering to vote in this 2018 school board election by mail, the application had to be postmarked by March 14, 2018. The online voter registration deadline was March 30, 2018, and the in-person deadline was April 3, 2018.

Candidates and results

At-Large

General election

General election for Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education At-large (2 seats)

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Marilyn Ruffin
Marilyn Ruffin (Nonpartisan)
 
41.3
 
4,460
Image of Bryn Horton
Bryn Horton (Nonpartisan)
 
35.7
 
3,858
Image of Paul Kudrle
Paul Kudrle (Nonpartisan)
 
22.2
 
2,401
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.8
 
85

Total votes: 10,804
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Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Wisconsin elections, 2018


Key deadlines

Endorsements

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Past elections

See also: Past elections in the Sun Prairie Area School District

To see results from past elections in the Sun Prairie Area School District, click here.

What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

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Election trends

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The 2018 Sun Prairie Area school board election had a higher average number of candidates running per seat compared to the district's previous three elections. In 2018, three candidates filed to run for two seats for an average of 1.5 candidates per seat. In 2016 and 2017, 100 percent of the seats on the ballot were unopposed for an average of one candidate per seat. In 2015, an average of 1.33 candidates ran per seat.

The table below details election trends for the district, the state, and the country as a whole.

School board election trends
Year Candidates per seat Uncontested seats Incumbents running for re-election Incumbent success rate Seats won by newcomers
Sun Prairie Area School District
2018 1.50 0.00% 50.00% 100.00% 50.00%
2017 1.00 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 0.00%
2016 1.00 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 0.00%
2015 1.33 0.00% 33.33% 0.00% 100.00%
Wisconsin
2016 1.57 29.73% 78.38% 68.97% 45.95%
2015 1.38 38.24% 73.53% 84.00% 35.29%
2014 1.40 46.67% 86.67% 88.46% 23.33%
United States
2016 1.90 34.05% 71.31% 82.39% 41.04%
2015 1.72 35.95% 70.37% 82.66% 40.81%
2014 1.89 32.57% 75.51% 81.31% 38.24%


About the district

See also: Sun Prairie Area School District, Wisconsin
The Sun Prairie Area School District is located in Dane County, Wisconsin.

The Sun Prairie Area School District is located in Dane County. The seat of county government is Madison. Located in south-central Wisconsin, the county was home to approximately 531,273 residents between 2010 and 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[8] The district served 8,107 students in the 2015–2016 school year.[9]

Demographics

Higher education achievement

Dane County outperformed Wisconsin as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2012 and 2016. The United States Census Bureau found that 49 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 28.4 percent of state residents and 30.3 percent of residents in the country as a whole.[8]

Median household income

From 2012 to 2016, the median household income in the county was $64,773, compared to $54,610 for the state as a whole. During that same period, the median household income for the entire United States was $55,322.[8]

Poverty rate

The poverty rate in Dane County was 10.9 percent from 2012 to 2016. During that same period, the poverty rate was 11.8 percent statewide, and it was 12.7 percent for the country as a whole.[8]

Racial demographics

Racial Demographics, 2016[8]
Race Dane County (%) Wisconsin (%)
White 85.5 87.5
Black or African American 5.3 6.6
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5 1.1
Asian 6.1 2.8
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1
Two or More Races 2.6 1.9
Hispanic or Latino 6.3 6.7

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.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Twenty-three of 72 Wisconsin counties—32 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Adams County, Wisconsin 21.92% 8.73% 18.35%
Buffalo County, Wisconsin 21.82% 2.93% 14.66%
Columbia County, Wisconsin 2.14% 13.58% 15.26%
Crawford County, Wisconsin 5.40% 19.98% 27.03%
Door County, Wisconsin 3.22% 6.99% 17.33%
Dunn County, Wisconsin 11.09% 4.97% 14.95%
Forest County, Wisconsin 26.58% 5.44% 15.16%
Grant County, Wisconsin 9.43% 13.77% 23.88%
Jackson County, Wisconsin 11.74% 15.01% 21.84%
Juneau County, Wisconsin 26.05% 7.03% 9.00%
Kenosha County, Wisconsin 0.31% 12.23% 18.06%
Lafayette County, Wisconsin 8.99% 15.37% 22.32%
Lincoln County, Wisconsin 20.60% 0.71% 12.48%
Marquette County, Wisconsin 24.09% 0.27% 5.28%
Pepin County, Wisconsin 23.08% 2.22% 12.89%
Price County, Wisconsin 25.00% 0.04% 13.40%
Racine County, Wisconsin 4.28% 3.54% 7.41%
Richland County, Wisconsin 5.50% 16.13% 20.63%
Sauk County, Wisconsin 0.35% 18.47% 23.04%
Sawyer County, Wisconsin 18.41% 0.49% 6.23%
Trempealeau County, Wisconsin 12.64% 14.08% 26.39%
Vernon County, Wisconsin 4.43% 14.73% 22.00%
Winnebago County, Wisconsin 7.34% 3.73% 11.66%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Wisconsin with 47.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 46.5 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Wisconsin cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Wisconsin supported Republicans slightly more than Democratic candidates, 50.0 to 46.7 percent. The state, however, favored Democrats in every presidential election from 2000 to 2012 before voting for Trump in 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Assembly districts in Wisconsin. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[10][11]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 43 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.1 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 36 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 34.6 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 56 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 12.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 63 out of 99 state Assembly districts in Wisconsin with an average margin of victory of 19.4 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Sun Prairie Area School District Wisconsin School Boards
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Sun Prairie Star, "Candidates vie for votes in spring elections," January 3, 2018
  2. Dane County Elections, "2018 Spring Election Unofficial Canvass," accessed April 3, 2018
  3. Sun Prairie Area School District, "School Board Election," accessed January 20, 2018
  4. 4.0 4.1 Wisconsin Association of School Boards, "Guide for Candidates," accessed November 26, 2017
  5. DMV.org, "Voter Registration in Wisconsin," accessed January 22, 2015
  6. State statutes stipulate that an individual must have resided in Wisconsin for at least 28 days prior to the election in order to register to vote in that election. However, the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled that "the increase of the durational residency requirement from 10 days to 28 days is unconstitutional." Consequently, the earlier 10-day requirement took effect once again. An appeal of the district court's decision was pending as of September 20, 2016.
  7. Wisconsin Statutes, "Section 6.10," accessed November 7, 2016
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Dane County, Wisconsin; Wisconsin; UNITED STATES," accessed March 23, 2018
  9. 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
  10. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  11. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017