Utah State Board of Education election, 2020

Elections in Utah, 2020

• Election date: Nov. 3
• Registration deadline(s): Oct. 23
• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Recount laws

• Early voting starts: Oct. 20
• Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 2 (received)
• Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
• Voter ID: Non-photo ID
• Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

---

On the ballot:  • U.S. House • Governor • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards

• Presidential election
  • Presidential candidates
• Congress elections
  • U.S. Congress
  • U.S. Senate
  • U.S. House
  • Congressional special elections
• State elections
  • Ballot measures
  • State executives
  • State legislatures
  • State legislature special elections
  • State supreme courts
  • Intermediate appellate courts
• Local elections
  • Ballot measures
  • Municipal government
  • Mayors
  • School boards
  • Trial courts
  • Political recalls
• Voter information
  • Sample ballot
  • Election calendar
  • Election results
  • Poll opening and closing times
  • Voting policies

2022 → ← 2018
Utah State Board of Education
Election details
Filing deadline: March 19, 2020
Primary: June 30, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent(s): Laurieann Thorpe (District 3) Jennifer Graviet (District 4) Carol Barlow Lear (District 7) Janet Cannon (District 8) Shawn Newell (District 10) Mike Haynes (District 11) Mark Marsh (District 12) Scott Neilson (District 13) Michelle Boulter (District 15)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Utah
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2020 Impact of term limits in 2020 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
Utah executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor Attorney General Auditor Treasurer State Board of Education (9 seats)

Utah held an election for nine of 15 seats on the state board of education on November 3, 2020. Eight seats were up for regular election, and one seat was up for special election to a two-year term. The primary was scheduled for June 30, 2020. Party conventions were held on April 25, 2020, to narrow the field for the primary or to advance candidates to the general election. The filing deadline was March 19, 2020.

This was the first year that the Utah State Board of Education held partisan elections. Prior to 2020, the elections were nonpartisan. The change came after the Utah State Legislature passed a bill in 2016 to change school board elections to partisan elections. The change had been planned to go into effect in 2018, but challenges to the law kept it on hold. Opponents argued that the law went against the Utah Constitution's statement that “no religious or partisan test or qualification shall be required as a condition of employment." On September 10, 2019, the Utah Supreme Court ruled that partisan school board elections were constitutional, and the law was able to go into effect.

Brent Strate won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 4.

Incumbent Carol Barlow Lear won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 7.

Incumbent Janet Cannon won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 8.

Molly Hart won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 10.

Natalie Cline won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 11.

James Moss Jr. won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 12.

Randy Boothe won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 13.

Kristan Norton won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 15.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Utah modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

• Absentee/mail-in voting: The third-party collection and return of absentee ballots was restricted to individuals residing in the same household as the voter.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

District 3

General election candidates

• Brett Garner  (Democratic Party) 
• Matt Hymas  (Republican Party) ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

 Democratic convention candidates

• Brett Garner ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

 Republican convention candidates

• Laurieann Thorpe (Incumbent)
• Matt Hymas ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 4

General election candidates

• Brent Strate  (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

• K'Leena Furniss
• Brent Strate ✔

 Republican convention candidates

• K'Leena Furniss ✔
• Brent Strate ✔

 Republican convention candidates

• K'Leena Furniss ✔
• Brent Strate ✔

District 7

General election candidates

• Carol Barlow Lear  (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔

 Democratic convention candidates

• Carol Barlow Lear (Incumbent) ✔

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

District 8

General election candidates

• Janet Cannon  (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔

Did not make the ballot:

• Jamilla Alani (Democratic Party)

 Democratic convention candidates

• Jamilla Alani ✔

 Republican convention candidates

• Janet Cannon (Incumbent) ✔

District 10

General election candidates

• Molly Hart  (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

• Molly Hart ✔
• David Linford

 Republican convention candidates

• Jeffrey Ferlo
• Molly Hart ✔
• David Linford ✔

 Republican convention candidates

• Jeffrey Ferlo
• Molly Hart ✔
• David Linford ✔

District 11

General election candidates

• Natalie Cline  (Republican Party) ✔ 
• Tony Zani  (Independent) 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

The Republican Party primary was canceled.

 Republican convention candidates

• Mike Haynes (Incumbent)
• Natalie Cline ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

 Republican convention candidates

• Mike Haynes (Incumbent)
• Natalie Cline ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 12

General election candidates

• James Moss Jr.  (Republican Party) ✔
• Catherine Rebekah Taylor  (Constitution Party)

Did not make the ballot:

• Mike Dorsey (Independent)

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

The Republican Party primary was canceled.

 Republican convention candidates

• Lorri-Sue Blunt
• James Moss Jr. ✔
• Joe Rivest

 Republican convention candidates

• Lorri-Sue Blunt
• James Moss Jr. ✔
• Joe Rivest

District 13

General election candidates

• Randy Boothe  (Republican Party) ✔ 

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

• Randy Boothe ✔ 
• Alyson Williams

Did not make the ballot:

• Scott Neilson (Incumbent)
• Shauna J. Warnick

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
 Republican convention candidates

• Randy Boothe ✔ 
• Jeff Rust
• Alyson Williams ✔

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

 Republican convention candidates

• Randy Boothe ✔ 
• Jeff Rust
• Alyson Williams ✔

---

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 15

General election candidates

• Kristan Norton  (Republican Party) ✔

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled.

 Republican primary candidates

• Kristan Norton ✔
• Scott Smith

 Republican convention candidates

• Dale Brinkerhoff
• Kristan Norton ✔
• Scott Smith ✔

 Republican convention candidates

• Dale Brinkerhoff
• Kristan Norton ✔
• Scott Smith ✔

Past elections

2018

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2018

District 1

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 1

Jennie Earl defeated incumbent Terryl Warner in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 1 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jennie Earl (Nonpartisan)	60.6	33,238
		Terryl Warner (Nonpartisan)	39.4	21,618

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 54,856
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 2

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 2

Scott L. Hansen defeated Craig Pitts in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 2 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott L. Hansen (Nonpartisan)	60.5	28,811
		Craig Pitts (Nonpartisan)	39.5	18,819

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,630
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Leanne Rich (Nonpartisan)

District 3

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 3

Incumbent Linda Hansen defeated Thomas Nedreberg in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 3 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Linda Hansen (Nonpartisan)	73.8	31,380
		Thomas Nedreberg (Nonpartisan)	26.2	11,133

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,513
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 5

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 5

Incumbent Laura Belnap defeated Patrick Riley in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 5 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laura Belnap (Nonpartisan)	65.0	42,538
		Patrick Riley (Nonpartisan)	35.0	22,937

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 65,475
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 6

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 6

Incumbent Brittney Cummins won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 6 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Brittney Cummins (Nonpartisan)	100.0	39,316

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 39,316
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Megan Ruff (Nonpartisan)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Valerie Velez-Hall (Nonpartisan)

District 9

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 9

Cindy Davis defeated Avalie Muhlestein in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 9 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Davis (Nonpartisan)	67.6	37,594
		Avalie Muhlestein (Nonpartisan)	32.4	17,988

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 55,582
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Utah State Board of Education District 9

Cindy Davis and Avalie Muhlestein defeated Joylin Lincoln and Kami Alvarez in the primary for Utah State Board of Education District 9 on June 26, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Davis (Nonpartisan)	51.5	13,824
✔		Avalie Muhlestein (Nonpartisan)	17.2	4,615
		Joylin Lincoln (Nonpartisan)	16.2	4,363
		Kami Alvarez (Nonpartisan)	15.1	4,050

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 26,852
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 14

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 14

Incumbent Mark Huntsman won election in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 14 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Huntsman (Nonpartisan)	100.0	48,448

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,448
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Click [show] at the right to view more past election results.

2016 Utah State Board of Education District 4, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Jennifer Graviet 56.6% 34,998 Dave Thomas Incumbent 43.4% 26,858 Total Votes 61,856 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 7, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Carol Barlow-Lear 55.8% 30,528 Shelly Teuscher 44.2% 24,179 Total Votes 54,707 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 8, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Janet A Cannon 62.8% 39,408 Richard R. Nelson 37.2% 23,300 Total Votes 62,708 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 10, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Kathleen Riebe 59.7% 39,920 Gary Thompson 40.3% 27,002 Total Votes 66,922 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 11, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Lisa D. Cummins 52.9% 35,751 Erin Preston 47.1% 31,811 Total Votes 67,562 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 12, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Alisa Ellis 53.7% 33,549 Dixie Lee Allen Incumbent 46.3% 28,975 Total Votes 62,524 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 13, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Scott B. Neilson 53.2% 25,309 Stan Lockhart 46.8% 22,263 Total Votes 47,572 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 15, 2016 Candidate Vote % Votes Michelle Boulter 51.7% 29,758 Wesley J. Christiansen 48.3% 27,820 Total Votes 57,578 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah 2014 Utah State Board of Education District 1, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Terryl Warner 51.6% 16,228 David L. Clark 48.4% 15,240 Total Votes 31,468 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 2, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Spencer F. Stokes 54.5% 12,528 Willard Z. Maughan 45.5% 10,462 Total Votes 22,990 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 3, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Linda B. Hansen 58.6% 14,542 Michael G. Jensen 41.4% 10,267 Total Votes 24,809 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 5, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Laura Collier Belnap 56% 19,248 Mark H. Bouchard 44% 15,128 Total Votes 34,376 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 6, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Brittney Cummins 42% 11,291 Dan Griffiths 30.8% 8,281 Pat Rusk 27.2% 7,316 Total Votes 26,888 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 9, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Joel Wright 45.8% 13,924 Heather Groom 38.2% 11,593 Joylin Lincoln 16% 4,853 Total Votes 30,370 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 14, 2014 Candidate Vote % Votes Mark A. Huntsman 64% 22,428 Mike Miles 36% 12,606 Total Votes 35,034 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah 2012 Utah State Board of Education District 1, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Tami W. Pyfer 60.2% 35,765 D. Alan Shakespear 39.8% 23,687 Total Votes 59,452 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 4, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes David "Dave" L. Thomas Incumbent 53.6% 27,295 Bruce Davis 46.4% 23,610 Total Votes 50,905 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 7, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Leslie Brooks Castle Incumbent 75.8% 35,824 Carlton A. Getz 24.2% 11,457 Total Votes 47,281 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 8, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Jennifer A. Johnson 66.5% 38,942 Chris Williams 33.5% 19,644 Total Votes 58,586 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 10, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Dave Crandall 50.1% 31,291 Nina Marie Welker 49.9% 31,144 Total Votes 62,435 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 11, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Jefferson Moss 67.8% 38,154 Sergio X. Vasquez 32.2% 18,082 Total Votes 56,236 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 12, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Dixie L. Allen 55.7% 31,392 Wendy Simmerman 44.3% 24,964 Total Votes 56,356 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 13, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes C. Mark Openshaw 55.8% 21,590 Ken Parkinson 44.2% 17,135 Total Votes 38,725 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 15, 2012 Candidate Vote % Votes Barbara W. Corry 68.4% 34,157 Bette Oveson Arial 31.6% 15,803 Total Votes 49,960 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah 2010 Utah State Board of Education District 2, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Keith M. Buswell 58.7% 15,664 Monty B. Hardy 41.3% 11,027 Total Votes 26,691 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 3, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Craig E. Coleman 60.9% 25,365 Burtis J. Bills 39.1% 16,271 Total Votes 41,636 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 5, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Kim R. Burninghmam Incumbent 58.4% 24,703 Nicole Toomey Davis 41.6% 17,614 Total Votes 42,317 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 6, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Michael G. Jensen Incumbent 69.6% 13,904 John H. Hohlbauch 30.4% 6,085 Total Votes 19,989 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 9, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Joel Coleman 60.1% 15,122 Milton C. Witt 39.9% 10,046 Total Votes 25,168 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 10, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Laurel O. Brown Incumbent 100% 33,529 Total Votes 33,529 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 14, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Dixie Lee Allen Incumbent 72.3% 27,110 Johny Thayne 27.7% 10,383 Total Votes 37,493 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah Utah State Board of Education District 15, 2010 Candidate Vote % Votes Debra G. Roberts Incumbent 61.3% 26,796 Tom Jett 38.7% 16,949 Total Votes 43,745 Source: Lieutenant Governor of Utah

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Utah State Board of Education official website