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No endorsement
The race
This is a write-in-only election, and that fact is the story. Buckeye Union High School District voters fill two four-year seats on November 3, 2026 — vote for up to two — but no candidate's name is printed on the ballot for these seats. Every candidate is a filed write-in: a voter who wants any of them must write the name in by hand.
The certified roster is: Nathan Madden (write-in, incumbent), Richard Hopkins (write-in), and Heather Barron (write-in; The Arizona Republic renders her name as Heather Barron-Galvan).
The candidates
Nathan Madden (write-in, incumbent). Madden is the sitting board member. In his first year on the board, he says he pushed for public access to board meeting recordings and lower fees for public records, and as an Arizona School Boards Association delegate he says he worked on stripping anti-school choice language from the association's political agenda, as reported by The Arizona Republic. He says he wants to advance policies that strengthen transparency, improve efficiency and keep the district responsive to the community.
Pros: A sourced first-year record pointed at transparency — meeting recordings and cheaper public records are concrete, checkable acts — and documented work for school choice inside the state association. Cons: One year of service is a short record, and it is largely self-reported; no specific board votes were sourced in this pass.
Richard Hopkins (write-in). Hopkins is a retired insurance agent who previously served 18 years on the Buckeye Elementary School District governing board, as reported by The Arizona Republic. He says he wants to focus on improving graduation rates, student proficiency and the district's financial stability, and describes himself as a long-time champion for students, employees and taxpayers.
Pros: Eighteen years of prior school-board service in the same community is real governing experience; stated priorities are outcomes — graduation, proficiency, financial stability. Cons: His board service was in the elementary district, not this one, and no record from it was sourced in this pass.
Heather Barron (write-in). Listed by The Arizona Republic as Heather Barron-Galvan, she has been a school psychologist for over 20 years, including 15 years on a Native American reservation, holds a master's in school counseling and an education specialist degree from the University of South Dakota, joined Buckeye Elementary as a lead psychologist, and serves on the Buckeye Union Education Foundation board, as reported by The Arizona Republic. She says her parent perspective and professional background in student mental health and academic development drive her advocacy for all students.
Pros: Two decades as a school psychologist is deep, relevant professional experience with how students actually struggle and succeed. Cons: No governing, budget or policy record was sourced in this pass.
OUR CALL
Our call: Vote for up to two — we endorse Nathan Madden for one seat; on the remaining seat, no endorsement. The basis for Madden is his sourced first-year record: he used the seat for transparency (public meeting recordings, lower records fees) and for school choice in the state association — governing acts, not slogans. For the second seat, Hopkins's 18 years and Barron's 20 years are both real experience, but neither comes with a sourced governing record in front of us, and we will not pick between résumés we cannot check. What would earn the second endorsement: a published platform or a verifiable record from either candidate's prior service. And the practical point, again: every name in this race must be written in.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Maricopa County School Superintendent — "November 3, 2026 School District Governing Board Certified and Write-In Candidates (as of 8/25/26)" — the certified roster for this race (county grade) — https://schoolsup.org/s/2026-Certified-Write-In-Candidates-082526.pdf
- The Arizona Republic / azcentral, "Who's running for metro Phoenix school boards in the midterm election?" (Oct. 2, 2026) — candidate backgrounds, occupations and stated priorities as reported — https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/10/02/metro-phoenix-school-board-candidates-midterm-2026-election/91830892007/
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.