School Board Elections
General Election: November 5, 2024
GOVERNING BOARD: Nonpartisan Candidate Filing Information
If interested in running for a school board position, contact the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office (928) 337-7539 to request a statement of interest or download the form from the web page. After the statement of interest is filed with the school superintendent’s office, the candidate may request the following documents or print them from the web page:
- Nomination Paper, Declaration of Qualification:
See ARS §16-311 - Nomination Petitions:
Petitions must be copied onto one page, front to back on letter-sized paper.
The candidate must file at least the minimum number of signatures required for their school district and no more than the maximum number. - Committee Statement of Organization
A candidate for election or retention shall register as a committee if the candidate receives contributions or makes expenditures, in any combination, of at least $1,400.00 in connection with that candidacy.
See ARS §16-905 and ARS §16-931. - Available seats and signature requirements.
All forms and necessary paperwork are available for download on this page. Candidate packets are to be filed with the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office. The candidate filing period for school board candidate packets begins June 8, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and ends July 8, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (Due to the first filing date occurring on a Saturday, the office will begin accepting nonpartisan nomination petitions on Monday, June 10, 2024, at 8:00 a.m.)
If you have any questions, please call the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office at (928) 337-7539.
GOVERNING BOARD ELECTIONS & CANDIDATE INFORMATION
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School Governing Board Qualifications
Pursuant to ARS §15-421(C), a person is eligible to run for a school governing board seat in Arizona when they meet the following qualifications:
- Registered voter in the state of Arizona
- Resident of the school district for at least one year immediately preceding the day of election
School governing board members cannot be an employee of the school district or be a spouse of a school district employee, including a person who directly provides certified or classified services to the school district as an employee of a third-party contractor. Please complete the Candidate Contact Form and return it to the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office.
Statement of Interest
According to ARS §16-311(H), candidates must file a Candidate Statement of Interest with the Office of the Apache County School Superintendent before collecting nomination petition signatures. This form may be dropped off, mailed, or sent back electronically when it will be date stamped by the Superintendent of Schools Office.
Statement of Organization (Campaign Finance)
A political committee statement of organization must be filed with either the Apache County Elections Department or the Office of the Apache County School Superintendent once a candidate’s committee has reached a combined total of $1,400 in contributions and expenses (ARS §16-905 and 16-931). This includes the use of the candidate’s own monies. Campaign Finance forms are included in the candidate information packet and are also available for download on this page. Candidates can gather petition signatures without filing a Statement of Organization.
Filing Petition Signatures
The candidate filing period for the November 5, 2024, election begins Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, July 8, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. (Due to the first filing date occurring on a Saturday, the office will begin accepting nonpartisan nomination petitions on Monday, June 10, 2024, at 8:00 a.m.) Petitions presented before or after the established filing period cannot be accepted (ARS §16-311(B)). Candidates may file election documents at the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office.
Two Year Term Candidates
Candidates for two (2) year terms must designate the term expiration date following the name of the office on the petitions prior to gathering signatures, as well as on the nomination papers (ARS §16-314(D)).
Candidate Withdrawal
School Board candidates who decide to have their name removed from the ballot must submit a notarized Statement of Withdrawal to the Office of Apache County School Superintendent. Once a candidacy is withdrawn, if the candidate has registered a campaign committee, the committee is required to continue filing campaign finance reports until/unless the committee is terminated. Candidates who withdraw their name from the ballot cannot run as a write-in candidate for the same office.
Write-In Candidates
Cancellation of School Governing Board Election
If no candidate files qualified nomination papers for a school district governing board member position by 5:00 p.m. on July 23, 2024, the Apache County School Superintendent's office may recommend cancellation of the election to the Apache County Board of Supervisors (BOS). Under these circumstances, the candidate who has filed in a timely and appropriate manner may be appointed (as if elected) by the BOS to fill the school district’s governing board position (ARS §15-424(E)). If no candidate files and the BOS moves to cancel the election, the vacancy may be filled through the appointment process conducted by the Apache County School Superintendent (ARS §15-424(E) and ARS §15-302).
Candidate Statements
Pursuant to ARS §15-421(F), each candidate whose name has been certified to appear on the election ballot/write-in list may submit the following:
- A recent photograph
- A typewritten or electronic statement, not to exceed 500 words
- A disclosure of any relationships by affinity, by consanguinity, or by law to the third degree that exists between the candidate and any current governing board members or other candidates for election to the same governing board
Certified candidates may begin submitting the information described above no earlier than Tuesday, July 9, 2024, and no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024.
The statements will be posted to the Apache County School Superintendent’s website as described below:
- The statements will be posted verbatim as they are received unless a candidate requests, in writing, that typographical errors be corrected.
- All statements and photographs will be posted on the Apache County School Superintendent's website alphabetically by school district and by candidate’s last name.
- Candidate statements may be submitted beginning July 9, 2024, through September 12, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.
- Photographs and statements must be submitted together. Photographs should be no larger than 2” x 3”.
- All candidate statements and photographs will be posted by September 19, 2024. For candidates that do not submit a statement, the website will state, “No Response Submitted.”
- Statements and/or photographs may be submitted by:
- Mail:
Apache County School Superintendent
Joy Whiting
P.O. Box 548
St Johns, AZ 85936 - Email
- In-Person:
Apache County School Superintendent
75 N 1st West
St Johns, AZ 85936
(928)337-7539
A signed hard copy of the candidate’s statement can be delivered to our office or may be sent via email from the candidate’s email address on file with the office of the Apache School Superintendent.
Call (928) 337-7539 with any questions, Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Disclaimer: Please understand, we are not attorneys and are not allowed by Arizona law to advise you on the statutes concerning elections or the preparation of any legal forms or documents related to elections.
Joy Whiting
Apache County School Superintendent
75 North 1st West
St Johns, AZ 85936
(928) 337-7539
Open 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday