← Election Series · Down-ballot coverage · Arizona
No endorsement
The race
Cartwright Elementary School District voters elect two members to four-year terms on November 3, 2026. Vote for up to two. Four candidates are running.
The certified roster is: Teresa Tapia (incumbent, appointed), Lydia Hernandez (incumbent), Marissa Hernandez, and Pedro Paredes. The district also asks voters to approve a maintenance and operations override, covered in our measure coverage.
The candidates
Teresa Tapia (incumbent, appointed). Tapia was appointed to the board on September 16, 2026, by Maricopa County School Superintendent Shelli Boggs, as reported by The Arizona Republic. She is a lifelong Maryvale resident with over 20 years of experience in patient care, small business ownership and community service, and stayed engaged in district events after first running for the board in 2024.
Pros: Deep Maryvale roots and two decades of small-business and community work; she sought this seat from voters in 2024 before the appointment. Cons: Weeks, not years, in the seat; no board record or detailed published platform was sourced in this pass.
Lydia Hernandez (incumbent). Hernandez has served on this board for over two decades, first elected in 2004, and holds a degree in political science and government from Baylor University, as reported by The Arizona Republic. She was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2022 and lost her re-election bid in the July 2026 primary. Her daughter Cassandra Hernandez served alongside her on this board from 2024 to 2026. The Republic reports Hernandez was briefly removed from this ballot after a legal battle, and a judge ruled she could remain after Cassandra Hernandez stepped down. Her stated priorities include fiscal responsibility and school safety.
Pros: Twenty-plus years on this board and a term in the Legislature; stated priorities of fiscal responsibility and school safety. Cons: The ballot litigation and the mother-daughter board overlap are documented complications voters should weigh; no specific board votes were sourced in this pass.
Marissa Hernandez. Hernandez previously served on this board from 2015 to 2024, advocating for special needs students — pushing to expand autism support services and staff training — and for energy-saving initiatives across the district, as reported by The Arizona Republic. She has campaigned with Pedro Paredes.
Pros: Nine years of prior service on this board with a documented advocacy focus on special-needs students. Cons: Her prior tenure ended in 2024; no current published platform beyond that record was sourced in this pass.
Pedro Paredes. Paredes's priorities, per his social media posts as reported by The Arizona Republic, include promoting student achievement and building partnerships between the district and the community. He has campaigned frequently with Marissa Hernandez.
Pros: A stated focus on student achievement and school-community partnership. Cons: The thinnest sourced record in the race — priorities from social media posts are all that is in front of voters here.
OUR CALL
Our call: insufficient record — no endorsement. What would earn one here: a candidate's published platform with specifics, or a sourced voting record from Tapia's appointment term or either Hernandez's prior service. Four experienced names and almost no checkable governing record is exactly the race where an honest guide says so instead of guessing.
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.