Governing Board Member, Tucson Unified School District
Tucson Unified District, Arizona
My vote power
Above average
Election date
November 3, 2026 · General election · 2 seats
How do we calculate my vote power?
What goes into the rating: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. Decisiveness: how likely this race is to be close, based on past results or current analyst ratings, plus the number of candidates.
Representation: Above average · 62 out of 100
This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 486,881 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(7,378,838 ÷ 486,881) ÷ ln(50,000) = 62.56, measured against a statewide vote in AZ (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Decisiveness: Unknown
No analyst ratings or past results for this contest yet.
Above average representation → My vote power: Above average.
Some data is missing, so this rating is based on partial information.
About this office
- Deciding how school district money is spent
- Picking the superintendent
- Choosing curriculum, within state rules
Affects: Government Efficiency, Government Spending Reduction, Public Safety and Crime Control,
Candidates
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Jennifer Eckstrom serves on the Tucson Unified School District governing board and works as a community and faith-based coordinator for Pima County's workforce department. She was elected to the South Tucson City Council at 18 and later served as the city's mayor.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, Data Privacy 1 for, Public Education Quality 1 for
Nonpartisan · declared
Pilar Acosta Ruiz is a 2026 candidate for the Tucson Unified School District governing board, having previously run for the seat in 2024. A member of Teamsters Local 104, she describes herself as an active participant in TUSD board meetings since 2011.
Records: Government Efficiency 1 for, Public Education Quality 1 for
Nonpartisan · declared
Skye Fernandez is a 2026 candidate for the Tucson Unified School District governing board, one of five candidates who filed nomination petitions for the two seats up in the November 2026 election.
Nonpartisan · declared
Tre'Davon Rhodes is a 2026 candidate for the Tucson Unified School District governing board and, at age 20, the youngest in the field. He is a University of Arizona junior studying political science and economics who has balanced work and school since high school.
Nonpartisan · Incumbent · declared
Val Romero is an incumbent member of the Tucson Unified School District governing board, serving since 2023. He has previously run for a Tucson Ward 6 City Council seat and for the Pima County Board of Supervisors in District 5.
Records: Civil Rights 1 for, 1 against, Government Efficiency 1 for, Government Spending Reduction 1 for
Sources: schools.pima.gov23