Mercedes Independent School District Interim Superintendent Alicia Noyola apologized Tuesday for failing to list four school board candidates' preferred names correctly on the ballot. The district has nine candidates running for four seats on the Mercedes board. Noyola said the district cannot fix the ballot now.
Noyola said the district did not use the preferred names when it sent a sample ballot to the Hidalgo County Elections Office. She said CFO Cristina Torres did not notice the mistake during the district's final review. The district did not notice the error until a candidate raised it on Oct. 2. Noyola said the district also did not tell candidates about a logic and accuracy meeting, where they could have reviewed the ballot.
Noyola said the Texas Secretary of State's office told the district it could inform voters, though it was not required to. Candidates decided against that step because of its cost, she said. The district instead posted election information on its website and addressed the issue at a candidate forum. Noyola said she had taken "appropriate administrative action" regarding employees involved but did not give details.
"As interim superintendent, ultimately I am responsible for what happens in our district, and I take full responsibility for that error," Noyola said. She said the district will add stronger ballot verification measures and an additional review step, and will give candidates a chance to review the ballot before it goes back to the county.