GILROY
– The $1,710 fee to file a school board candidate statement is
the result of several factors that nearly tripled the filing
expense for first-time and incumbent candidates.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – The $1,710 fee to file a school board candidate statement is the result of several factors that nearly tripled the filing expense for first-time and incumbent candidates.
The cost of printing the Santa Clara County Nov. 2 ballots increased this year and the candidate statements will be printed in five languages instead of two, said Elma Rosas, spokeswoman for the registrar of voters.
“In years past, the candidate paid only for the English, and the Spanish translation because it was federally mandated,” Rosas said.
The county also chose to print statements in Chinese and Vietnamese, covering the cost because those languages were not required by the federal government, she said.
Now, the county is mandated to provide the information in Chinese and Vietnamese, as well as Tagalog, she said.
The requirement was based on information from the 2000 census and was not handed down until after the 2002 election, which is why the significant increase came this year, she said.
The county Registrar of Voters sets the statement fee each year and local school districts choose the length of the statement and whether the candidates or district will pay it.
Gilroy Unified School District’s Board of Education voted to continue requiring candidates pay to file a statement, opting for a length of 200 words because it would be the least expensive.
Candidates are not required to submit a statement, but those who choose not to could be at a disadvantage if voters rely solely on the ballot information to make their decisions.
Some candidates have said they might try to have all those running for the three available board seats boycott the statement.
Trustee John Gurich, who will run for a second four-year term, has said he won’t put a statement in the ballot.
