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Board Elections

Colorado state law C.R.S. 1-5-208(1.5) authorizes the Board of Education by resolution to cancel the
election and declare the candidates elected if at the close of business on September 5, 2023 there are
not more candidates than offices to be filled at the election, including candidates filing affidavits of
intent to be write-in candidates. If instructed by resolution of the Board of Education, the designated
election official may cancel the election and declare candidates to be elected.
 
The Durango School District 9-R Board of Education adopted a resolution on September 5, 2023 to cancel
the election because there were not any contested seats or any other ballot issues. The Board of
Education of the Durango School District 9-R has determined that the prerequisites for canceling the
election have been met.
 
Pam Petrie, the designated election official for the regular school biennial election, is authorized to take
all necessary and appropriate steps to cancel the election, including providing notice of the cancellation
by publication and by posting notice at each polling location, in the office of the designated election
official and in the office of the county clerk and recorder.
Dated at Durango this 7th Day of September 2023.
 
BOARD OF EDUCATION, DURANGO SCHOOL DISTRICT 9-R
LA PLATA COUNTY, COLORADO
___________________________________________________________________________________________
2023 Board of Education Election for Directors Candidate Information
 
Two candidates have filed the necessary paperwork and Notice of Intent to be a School Board Candidate;
 
Mary Kristen Smith
1717 Eastlawn Ave. 
Durango, CO, 81301
Katie Stewart
274 E Park Ave.
Durango, CO 81301

Durango School District 9-R announces a Board of Education Call for Nominations for the fall 2023 election. There are two director offices to be voted upon this fall: one in District B and the other in District D. Both seats are four-year terms.

 

Election Day is Nov. 7 and will include voting in person or by mail. The Board of Education's non-partisan election will be administered by La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee and a Designated Election Official (DEO) hired by the district.

 

Durango 9-R Board of Education elections are nonpartisan and are held in November of odd years.

  • In November 2023 Districts B and D are up for election.
  • In November of 2025, Districts A,C, and E will be up for election.
 
Durango School District 9-R Map

Directors must live in the district for which they are running, but all eligible voters in the Durango 9-R School District can vote for a candidate in each director district.
If you are interested in running and live near the border of a district, please call the district to verify your home district. 

 
Eligibility
Requirements to be a candidate:
  • Be a resident of the Durango 9-R school district and a registered voter for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the election
  • Be a resident of the director district in which they are a candidate (see map above)
  • Not have been convicted of a sexual offense against a child
  • School Board director elections are nonpartisan; candidates may not campaign as members of a political party
 
Candidate Information Night
Those who are interested in becoming a candidate may attend the Board of Education Candidate Information Night, which will be held Aug. 16, 2023, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Durango Public Library. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions and learn about the process and timeline of running for a board seat.


Nomination Procedures
To begin the process of becoming an official candidate, people may pick up printed packets in person at the District Administrative Office, 201 E. 12th St. The packets will be available beginning Aug. 9, 2023, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the front desk. Any person who would like to be a candidate for the office of school director on the Board of Education must file a nomination petition signed by at least 50 eligible electors from throughout the school district. It is recommended best practice to collect 20% more signatures than required to account for disqualified or duplicate signatures. Once the signatures have been collected, the nomination petition and candidate packet must be filed by Sept. 1, 2023 at 4 p.m. in person at the District Office.

Campaign Filing Requirements
School board candidates must meet filing requirements under Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act (FCPA). One of the first steps is to file a candidate’s affidavit with the Secretary of State within 10 days of becoming a candidate. Also, candidates are required to report contributions and expenditures on the Secretary of State’s online TRACER program.

 

For more information about FCPA’s reporting requirements and timelines for filing these reports, please visit the Colorado Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.state.co.us.

 

You can also get your questions answered by calling 303-894-2200 & press 3 or emailing
[email protected]

 

Questions:
Please contact the district office with any questions at 970-247-5411 or email [email protected]. You can also visit the Colorado Association of School Board’s website for general candidate information.