School Board Elections

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.

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.

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 $1,500 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.

The candidate filing period for the November 3, 2026, election begins Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. and closes Monday, July 6, 2026, 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 8, 2026, 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.

Candidates must file the following original documents with our office in order for their names to appear on the ballot:

1. Nomination paper/Declaration of Qualifications
2. Nonpartisan Nomination Petition (two-sided)

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)).

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.

A write-in candidate must file an original Write-In Nomination Paper with our office no earlier than June 6, 2026, at 8:00 a.m. and no later than 5:00 p.m. on July 20, 2026 (ARS 16-312 and 16-410). However, due to the first filing date occurring on a Saturday, our office will be accepting documents on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 8:00 a.m.

If no candidate files qualified nomination papers for a school district governing board member position by 5:00 p.m. on July 21, 2026, 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).

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:

1. A recent photograph
2. A typewritten or electronic statement, not to exceed 500 words
3. 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 7, 2026, and no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2026.

The statements will be posted to the Apache County School Superintendent’s website.

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.