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Are elections rigged?
I don't know! But I suspect the dates are set for local city, school board and other elections are set to give the people in power an advantage. I certainly don't buy the argument that we need two or more election dates. One date for state and federal elections and another date for local elections because people are so stupid that they won't be able to figure out who to vote for in the combined elections. For third party candidates such as Libertarians or Greens local city elections are definitely rigged against them. A Libertarian or a Green can run for governor of Arizona with a lousy 100 signatures, while running for mayor of Tempe requires several times that many signatures. While I don't have any evidence, other then my personal observations it sure seems like the dates set for local city and school board elections are picked to MINIMIZE voter turnout, not maximize voter turnout. Arizona officials fight bill on election consolidation by Michelle Ye Hee Lee, and Philip Haldiman Apr. 14, 2012 08:48 PM The Republic | azcentral.com Many local officials oppose a bill moving its way through the Arizona Legislature intended to consolidate elections, saying the measure would divert attention from municipal issues and cost local governments more money. House Bill 2826 would require municipal elections to occur in the fall of an even-year election cycle, which is when county, state and federal elections take place. The bill is in the Senate with a final vote pending. Cities and towns are "strongly opposed" to the change, said Ken Strobeck, executive director of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. "There's no reason to do this. We feel it's an intrusion into what is a local matter," Strobeck said. "We don't feel this is something the Legislature should be bothering with." Local officials believe spring election cycles allow voters to focus on community-centric, nonpartisan issues and concerns without being overshadowed by partisan federal- and state-election narratives. The change unfairly would affect municipal elections, Strobeck said, and federal and state matters would take precedence on the ballot. However, Rep. Michelle Ugenti, R-Scottsdale, sponsor of the bill, said the measure would maximize voter turnout and save taxpayer money. "Consolidating candidate elections is simply the best way to do that. This bill is about the voter," Ugenti said. "It is of statewide concern that we encourage participation, not disenfranchise voters with confusing and unpredictable election dates." But many local leaders do not agree. Officials from Phoenix, Paradise Valley and Surprise have expressed concerns that the change would turn nonpartisan elections into partisan elections. "Spring elections provide candidates for local office a less-crowded media environment to better articulate positions on matters of purely local interest during a time of the year when residents can be more engaged and focused on their own community," Paradise Valley Councilman Michael Collins said. In cities that have all mail-in elections, the change would be more costly and logistically impractical, Strobeck said. The Fountain Hills Town Council last month voted to oppose the bill, saying it would cost more because it could not have mail-ballot-only elections. Town Clerk Bev Bender estimated that mail-ballot-only elections save $6,650. If the bill is approved, it also would add printing and postage costs for the Maricopa County Elections Department, County Recorder Helen Purcell said. The one-page ballot already is printed on both sides, and consolidating elections could require the county to print two or three pages of ballots, she said. Peoria voters in 2004 approved a charter amendment to eliminate two elections by switching from the March-May cycle to the fall cycle to increase turnout. In some instances, not even 300 voters had turned out for a council race. While the number of voters increased after the change, the attention to local elections seems to have decreased based on the lack of interaction from residents during the campaign cycle, Peoria Mayor Bob Barrett said. When Barrett ran for mayor in 2001, residents asked him about city and civic issues, he said. But when he ran for mayor in 2006 after the switch, he noticed a marked change: residents' questions came off national issues. Gilbert and Avondale also switched election dates and will vote in their first election under the fall cycle this year. Some concerns are specific to the way each municipal government does business. For example, Mesa officials believe the bill would delay or kill some of the city's development deals that require citizen approval. Goodyear and Paradise Valley officials have said the change could result in lower voter turnout because many registered voters leave town during the summer. Paradise Valley Councilman-elect Dan Schweiker said forcing the town to hold its primary election in August would be a detriment to the Paradise Valley voters. "It would deprive many of our residents not only of the right to vote -- since many of them just have their mail held until they return -- but also deprive them of information that comes out during our elections," Schweiker said. Republic reporters Sonu Munshi, Dustin Gardiner, Parker Leavitt, David Madrid, Lynh Bui, Gary Nelson and John Yantis contributed to this article. |