Ponca City School Board Election Filing Period Approaching

An annual election for the school district electors of Ponca City School District No. I-71 of Kay County, Okla.will be held at the regular voting places with the school district on Feb. 11.

The second election, if no candidate for the board member position receives more than 50 percent of the vote, will be held on April 1 beginning at 7 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m. on said date.

The Ponca City Board of Education of the Ponca City Public School District hereby announces that statutorily qualified individuals interested in running as a candidate for the board seat on the Ponca City Board of Education may file to run as a candidate for this seat at the Kay County Election Board between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Dec. 2 – Dec. 4.

The Ponca City Board of Education has one position vacant this year.

Ward no.4 is currently held by David Kinkaid.

The term of office for this ward will run from 2014 until 2019.

Any contest of candidacy petitions, or withdrawal of candidate, must be filed by 5 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the Kay County Election Board.

The term of office of the newly elected board members shall commence on the first regular, special or emergency school board meeting after the date of the annual election and after the member has been certified by the County Election Board.

Qualification of Candidates for Office:

To be eligible to be a candidate for member of the Board of Education of a school district or technology school district, a candidate must have the following qualifications:

A. To be eligible to be a candidate for member of the board of education of a school district, a person must have resided in the district for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period, and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period. In school districts that have been divided into election districts, a candidate must have resided in the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period and have been a registered voter registered within the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the election district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period.

B. No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or elected to be a member of the board of education of a school district or technology school district unless the person has been awarded a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency;

C. A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or of the United States or who has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such misdemeanor involving embezzlement or felony or who has been convicted of a crime in another state which would have been a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such crime shall not be eligible to be a candidate for or be elected to any state, county, municipal, judicial, or school office or any other elective office of any political subdivision of this state for a period of fifteen years following completion of his sentence or during the pendency of an appeal of such conviction or plea.

D. No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or serve on a board of education if he or she is currently employed by the school district governed by the board of education or is related within the second degree by affinity or consanguinity to any other member of the board of education or to any employee of the school district. The following are relatives within the second degree:

· Candidate’s spouse

· Child

· Parent

· Grandchild

· Grandparent

· Brother

· Sister

· Spouse’s child

· Spouse’s grandchild

· Spouse’s brother

· Spouse’s sister

· Spouse’s grandparent

· Grandchild’s spouse

· Parent’s spouse

· Child’s spouse

E. Candidates must affirm that upon being elected as a new member of the board of education, within fifteen (15) months of election, they will complete at least twelve (12) hours of instruction on education issues, including school finance, Oklahoma education laws, and ethics, duties and responsibilities of district board of education members. Incumbents must affirm that they will complete six (6) hours of instruction within fifteen (15) months of election emphasizing changes in school law.

Who is Eligible to Vote?

To be eligible to vote, a voter must be registered with the county election board at an address within the geographical boundaries of the district.

What if no one files for the board seat?

If no one files for the open board seat, the seat is officially vacant as of the date of the election. The board of education would have sixty days from the date of the election to appoint an individual to the vacant seat or the board would have to call a special election to fill the vacancy. Any person appointed would have to meet all eligibility requirements as if they had run for office.

What if only one person files for the seat, does the incumbent immediately turn possession of the seat over to the new person?

Even if only one person files for a seat, the candidate is ineligible to take office until the date of the election passes and the election results are certified. Because the official election takes place on Tuesday, February 11, election results should be certified by Friday, February 14, 2014. The original term of office runs through the February election date. Thus, the “new” board member is seated at the first meeting following the February election date.

If a new person will be taking the board seat, when does the current school board member’s term end?

The current school board member will continue serving until the date of the election passes and the election results are certified. They will remain until the newly elected board member takes the Oath of Office at the first board meeting following the election date.

Contest of Candidacy

Any contest of candidacy petitions must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2013 at the County Election Board. Withdrawal of Candidate must be filed with the County Election Board Secretary who accepted the Declaration of Candidacy by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2013.

Who can contest a candidacy?

Any candidate for the same office may contest the other person’s candidacy. If the candidate is running unopposed, any voter who is eligible to vote for the candidate may contest the candidacy.

How does someone contest a candidacy?

A petition must be filed by 5:00 p.m. on the second day following the close of the filing period. The petition must allege that the candidate was not qualified by law to be a candidate and must contain the reasons why the candidate was not qualified. Any reasons which do not appear on the face of the petition are deemed waived and cannot later be added.

The petition is to be filed with the Secretary of the County Election Board who accepted the declaration of candidacy. The contesting of candidacy requires a $250 deposit. Upon the filing of a petition, the secretary of the election board must set the matter for a hearing. The hearing cannot be held fewer than three days from the filing of the petition. More information about contesting a candidacy, or any other board election issues, may be found at the Oklahoma State School Boards Association website at www.ossba.org.