Hollister
– Check twice before casting your absentee ballot this year –
Ardyss Golden, one of the candidates for the San Benito High School
Board of Trustees, has been removed from the race after officials
discovered she did not live in the district.
Hollister – Check twice before casting your absentee ballot this year – Ardyss Golden, one of the candidates for the San Benito High School Board of Trustees, has been removed from the race after officials discovered she did not live in the district.
“I’m sorry about what happened and they’re sorry about what happened, but I’m not angry,” she said. “It was an honest mistake that anyone could have made.”
Golden, 64, was one of seven candidates for a school board race with three positions open – those of incumbents Bill Tiffany and Jan Joseph, who are running again, and Judy Rider, who is not. Rider also teaches preschool at the United Methodist Church, where Golden serves as reverend.
Golden said she had wanted to run for school board because her years of volunteering with the district had prompted her to become involved at a higher level.
“I love working with the kids, reading programs, that sort of thing,” she said.
It was only when Golden received her absentee ballot in the mail that she noticed something was amiss.
“When we got our ballots, I couldn’t find my own name,” she said.
Elections officials discovered that Golden, who lives on Buena Vista Road, actually lives in the Aromas-San Juan School District, despite the fact that she sent four foster children to San Benito High School without any problems.
“She lives right on the district line,” said John Hodges, County Clerk/Recorder/
Registrar of Voters. “I think half of her house is actually on our side of the district and the other half is San Juan. … It’s a bummer.”
Golden’s name was removed from the ballot and voters are being sent postcards informing them of the mistake. Anyone who already submitted an absentee ballot voting for Golden can opt to have their old one destroyed and recast their vote for another candidate.
Hodges said this was the first time he was aware of confusion over district lines leading to a candidate being disqualified from a race.
“I know this has happened in other counties, but never here,” he said.
In the long run, he said that he did not expect the mix-up to have too great a toll on the race.
“There are a lot of candidates, so I’m sure it will be fine,” he said. “But elections are a funny thing. You never know.”
In the meantime, Golden is encouraging her supporters to vote for Terry Hill, instead. Hill is running for the first time, having put most of his nine children through SBHS, with a few who will be enrolling in the future.
“I’ve had a lot of meetings with him, and I feel that he isn’t going into this with his own agenda,” Golden said. “He just wants to listen and do some research and help find what’s best for the high school.”
Golden said some of her friends have asked her whether she’ll consider running for the Aromas San Juan Unified School District Board, a thought she is reluctant to entertain.
“I mean, I love San Juan; it’s a great place,” she said. “But I haven’t really been involved with the school. My church is in Hollister, I sent my foster children to school there, that’s what I know. So that’s where I will continue to volunteer.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com.
