Delaware County school board ballots filling up, but still no races

Robin Gibson, Muncie Star Press
·2 min read

MUNCIE, Ind. — With just a few days left of filing, ballots for school boards in Delaware County districts were filling up, though none yet with an actual race.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a few newcomers had entered school board races around the county. Three local districts have all the incumbents whose seats are up for election this year seeking another term.

Filing for the school board election is open until noon Friday, Aug. 26.

School board seats up for election in Delaware County this November and candidates who have filed so far, according to the Delaware County clerk's office, are:

  • Cowan, three at-large seats: currently held by Angela Johnson, Mike Van Horn and Alan Wright. So far, Wright, Paul Hansard and Kimberlie Campbell have filed to run.

  • Daleville, two at-large seats: currently held by Diane Evans and Ron Halbert Jr., both of whom have filed to run.

  • Delaware Community, three seats: Delaware Township (currently held by Lance Engle), Niles Township (currently held by Jacob Case) and Union Township (currently held by Trent Fox). Only Engle had filed to run as of Tuesday.

  • Liberty-Perry, three seats: Liberty Township (currently held by Keith Davis), Perry Township (currently held by Robert Cook) and at-large (currently held by Kevin Thomas). Cook had filed to run for his current seat, and Eugene Ferris had filed for the at-large seat as of Tuesday.

  • Wes-Del, three seats: Harrison Township (currently held by Todd Trehearne), Washington Township (currently held by Larry Batt) and at-large (currently held by Richard Johnson). All three incumbents have filed to run.

  • Yorktown, three at-large seats, currently held by Ryan Kelly, Pat LaVelle and Tom Simpson, all of whom have filed to run.

Earlier:Recent school board elections have had few actual races. Will this year be any different?

The Muncie Community School Board is now appointed by the Ball State University Trustees and president, rather than being elected by voters in the school district.

In recent elections, few Delaware County school boards have had contested races, and in some cases have had no candidate run for an open seat.

Citizens who aren't already registered to vote have through Oct. 11 to do so in order to cast ballots in the Nov. 8 general election. In-person absentee voting in advance of Election Day will be from Oct. 12 until noon Nov. 7, while the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 27.

To register to vote, apply online to vote absentee or check on voter registration status, polling sites for Election Day or who will be on the ballot, go to indianavoters.in.gov.

Related:Voting rights are still a battleground in Indiana

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This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: School board ballots filling up, but still no races