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Historic Facts and Figures: School and Bond
Elections
School board members were elected to staggered three year terms in elections
held every September through 2008. Beginning in 2009, school elections will be
held only in odd-numbered years, and terms will be four years.
Turnout
School election turnout tends to be highest in elections where
funding questions appear on the ballot.
|
Record Turnout by
District |
Voters |
Date
(links to results) |
Key Contests |
|
Iowa City (regular) |
5,814 |
9/12/1995 |
Bond (New
Elementary School) |
|
Iowa City
(special) |
13,139 |
12/8/1992 |
Bond (School
Improvements) |
| Clear Creek Amana
(regular) |
696 |
9/14/2004 |
School Board |
|
Clear Creek Amana
(special) |
2,447 |
2/14/2006 |
Bond (New
Schools) |
|
Lone Tree |
584 |
9/11/2001 |
Bond (School
Improvements) |
|
Solon |
1,757 |
9/12/2000 |
Bond (New
High School) |
|
Turnout in Recent School
Elections
(date links to results) |
Registered Voters* |
Total Voters |
% |
Ballot Issues |
|
9/13/2011 |
88,471 |
5,451 |
6.16% |
Kirkwood bond (all districts), Solon
sales tax use |
|
9/8/2009 |
85,071 |
5,834 |
6.86% |
Kirkwood levy (all districts) |
|
9/9/2008 |
81,842 |
2,863 |
3.50% |
none |
|
9/11/2007 |
74,395 |
3,402 |
4.57% |
none |
|
9/12/2006 |
74,683 |
2,683 |
3.59% |
Solon levy |
|
9/13/2005 |
78,079 |
3,893 |
4.99% |
Kirkwood bond (all districts),
Lone Tree and Solon levies |
|
9/14/2004 |
74,563 |
2,945 |
3.95% |
Iowa City levy |
|
9/9/2003 |
66,620 |
4,472 |
6.75% |
Kirkwood levy (all districts),
Clear Creek Amana levy |
| 9/10/2002 |
69,388 |
3,618 |
5.21% |
none |
| 9/11/2001 |
67,801 |
3,475 |
5.13% |
Lone Tree bond issue |
| 9/12/2000 |
64,197 |
4,316 |
6.72% |
Solon bond issue |
| 9/14/1999 |
61,819 |
5,341 |
8.64% |
Clear Creek Amana
levy |
| 9/8/1998 |
60,837 |
4,978 |
8.18% |
Kirkwood levy (all districts) |
| 9/9/1997 |
59,108 |
3,060 |
5.18% |
Clear Creek Amana
and Solon levies |
| 9/10/1996 |
59,127 |
4,942 |
8.36% |
Solon levy |
| 9/12/1995 |
57,909* |
6,236 |
10.77% |
Iowa City bond issue |
|
9/13/1994 |
57,273 |
3,438 |
6.00% |
Kirkwood levy (all districts),
Lone Tree Levy |
|
9/14/1993 |
56,396 |
4,902 |
8.69% |
none |
|
9/8/1992 |
59,910 |
1,307 |
2.18% |
none |
* Registration figures from 1996 to present
include the Iowa City, Clear Creek Amana, Lone Tree, and Solon school
districts. Due to the merger process the Clear Creek Amana
district did not hold a regular school board election in
September 1995, and the 1995 registration totals do not include Clear Creek Amana. Registration totals from 1994 and earlier include the Iowa
City, Lone Tree, and Solon districts and the former Clear Creek district, and
do not include the former Amana district. These totals include all
voters within these school districts, including voters from outside Johnson
County.
Low Turnout
The lowest turnout election of any type in recent years was the September
8, 1992 school board election. County-wide, 1,307 out of 59,910
registered voters participated, for a county-wide turnout of 2.18%.
Turnout in the Iowa City district was 0.96%. Only the Clear
Creek school district had any contested races. More voters went to the
polls in the Clear Creek district than in the Iowa City district, even
though the Iowa City district had 23 times more registered voters.
|
Turnout by District, 9/8/1992 |
Registered |
Voters |
Turnout |
Contests |
|
Iowa City |
53,707 |
515 |
0.96% |
2 seats at large, 2 candidates |
|
Clear Creek |
2,321 |
646 |
27.83% |
District 3: 1 seat, 2
candidates
District 5: 1 seat, 1 candidate on ballot, 1 write in |
|
Lone Tree |
1,121 |
73 |
6.51% |
2 seats at large, 2
candidates |
|
Solon |
2,761 |
73 |
2.64% |
2 seats at large, 2
candidates |
Highest Vote
Totals for Candidates
| District |
Candidate |
Votes |
Year |
Contested? |
| Iowa City |
Marvin Lynch |
4,114 |
1995 |
yes |
| Clear Creek Amana |
Ann Wood |
438 |
1996 and 1999 |
no (both years) |
| Lone Tree |
Jon Ronan |
483 |
2001 |
no |
| Solon |
Don Otto |
1,118 |
2000 |
no |
In all districts, the record vote total for a candidate was set in a year
with a funding issue on the ballot, except for Wood in Clear Creek Amana in
1996. (Note: Wood received the same record vote total two different
times.)
Close Elections
The closest school election in Johnson County was a 1995
tie in the Solon school district. Phyllis Connelly and Jan Kubik Miller
each won 74 votes. Connelly was selected by lot at the official canvass of
votes.
The closest Iowa City school district election in recent years was in 1977,
when Bill Kidwell won the second and final board seat by 35 votes over Ann
Bovbjerg.
Early Voting
The February 11, 2003 Iowa City school bond was the
first election of any type in Johnson County history with more ballots cast
early than on Election Day. 6,298 early ballots were counted, accounting
for 50.45% of the vote.
That remained the record high absentee percentage for all elections until the
November 4, 2008 presidential election.
Write-Ins
Candidates are sometimes elected as write-ins, usually when no candidate is
on the ballot. This last happened in 2009. No candidates filed for
Clear Creek Amana District 4, and Mick Kahler was elected as a write-in.
The largest scale write in school election in recent years was the 1997
Iowa City School Board election. Two seats were open but only one
candidate filed. Peter Wallace was elected as a write-in.
Write-in candidates have defeated candidates who were listed on the ballot,
most recently in 1994 in Lone Tree. The most
prominent case was in the 1983 Iowa City school board
election, when three write in candidates ran ahead of the two candidates
listed on the ballot in a contest for two seats.
Bond Issues
Bond issues require a 60% yes vote for approval. Key statistics from
1977 to present:
- Largest Yes percentage, school district: 71.21%, Iowa City School District, February
11, 2003
- Largest Yes percentage, non-school: 95.41%, Coralville
pool, July 9, 2002
- Narrowest successful Yes margin: 60.7%, Solon School District, 1979.
- Highest unsuccessful Yes percentage: 57.95%, Iowa City School District, May
12, 1992.
- Largest No percentage: 83.00%, City of Iowa City sports complex, June
25, 1991.
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