Every November the state holds a statewide general election. In years that end in an even number the election includes general elections for federal, state, and county officers, as well as state or local ballot measures such as initiatives, referenda, and constitutional amendments.
In years that end in an odd number, general elections are held for city, town, and special purpose district officers, subject to a few exceptions. In addition, odd-year elections may include elections for:
State ballot measures must appear on the ballot at the next regular general election, and therefore they may appear in either even- or odd-numbered years. Special elections and recall elections also may occur in either even- or odd-numbered years.
Cities and towns may choose to hold their elections in even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years. To select this option, the legislative body of the jurisdiction must both adopt an ordinance or policy, and voters must approve an ordinance or charter amendment referred by the legislative body. A city or town moving its elections must hold two public hearings at least 30 days apart to consider public input, and a final vote may not occur sooner than 30 days after the second hearing.
If a jurisdiction chooses to switch its elections to even-numbered years, the term lengths of officers elected in the next odd-year election must be one year shorter than provided by law. The choice to switch must be adopted before January 15th of an odd-numbered year to take effect in that election cycle. A jurisdiction that chooses to switch back to odd-numbered year elections must transition back with similarly shortened terms.
The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard. PRO: This bill is not a mandate, it is very much about local options. When you look around the country, several states are already doing this. Specialists throughout every county are going to be able to advise all of the small and large districts and find out what works best for them, which is why cities are supporting this. We know that in odd years the voter turnout is dismal, especially during primaries. It's embarrassing and expensive to run these elections that don't get much turnout. Then they also don't have a happy electorate, because they feel like their representatives are not doing the work of the people. We also know that people turning out to vote in odd years are not working class people, they're not young people. Consumers like this approach. When they're polled, they would prefer to consolidate elections, it's too much to keep track of. This is a very smart, methodical, and small step to allow jurisdictions to do what they want to do. This is a data driven bill, the data shows when these elections are moved to even years, we do see more participation.
CON: Putting all elections in even years will extend the size of the ballot, in some cases, it'll be two pages long. The voter guides become larger, tomes if you will. Voter fatigue will occur. As you go down the ballot, people will drop off. Instead of voting being a civic duty, it will become a chore. Local elections will be drowned out by the state and federal races. If you make this move, jurisdictions with ranked choice voting will have two completely different voting systems in the same election cycle, causing voter confusion. Having two ballot cards makes it impossible to reconcile that type of election. The fluctuation in workload for elections would make it difficult for small counties to afford to retain full-time, certified, and experienced election staff.
OTHER: While I do like the idea of giving cities and towns the option, I do have concerns about the ballot length and voter fatigue.
PRO: Madeline Bishop; SuYoung Yun, ACRS; Monique Meissner, Washington Community Alliance; Abigail Leong, WA Voting Justice Coalition.