Washington Legislature considers allowing local elections in even years as secretaries of state voice concerns

The Washington Legislature is again considering a proposal that would allow jurisdictions to shift local elections to even years, an idea that proponents say will boost low voter turnout.

The bill, though, is opposed by both the current and a former secretary of state in Washington.

If passed, the bill would allow cities and towns to shift their elections to even-numbered years through either a vote of residents or an ordinance adopted by the town’s council. A similar proposal cleared the House of Representatives last session, though it died in the Senate.

Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, said the bill could boost turnout in elections that regularly see half as much turnout as ballots that feature either a presidential or congressional race at the top of the ticket.

“One of the calls to action is always to try to find out how we can get more people to participate in our democracy,” Gregerson said during a Jan. 21 House State Government Committee Hearing. “When we have more people participating, we have a healthier community, the people who are leading that community and making those decisions have a better electorate to be able to listen to, and more people feel like they are feeling heard.”

According to data from the Washington Secretary of State, nearly 79% of Washington’s 5 million registered voters cast their ballots in November, an election that included races for the presidency, the governorship, a slate of other statewide offices and four statewide initiatives. With a seat in the U.S. Senate up for grabs in 2022, nearly 64% of Washingtonians submitted their ballots.

But with only local races up for grabs in 2023, 36.4% of registered voters in the state cast a ballot, the lowest rate in an odd-year election since at least 1980. Data from the Secretary of State’s Office shows that odd-year elections have seen a steady decline in participation, with less than 40% of voters returning ballots in each election since 2013.

According to Gregerson, the bill is geared toward groups that have historically had lower voter turnout, including young people and those in lower income brackets.

During a Feb. 13 hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, Gregerson said the bill would have other benefits, including reducing the cost for elections by including more races on the same ballot.

Gregerson said 19 other states allow local jurisdictions to hold elections in even-numbered years.

But while Gregerson hopes the option would boost participation, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs worries it would result in a higher number of voters submitting partial ballots. During testimony in the Jan. 21 hearing, Hobbs pointed to higher voter turnouts in presidential races compared to races down the ballot, even in even years.

Of the nearly 4 million voters who cast a ballot last November, less than one 1% failed to vote in the presidential election. Nearly one in five, though, did not select either Sal Mungia or Dave Larson for a seat on the state Supreme Court.

“If you have other races down below, it starts dropping off even further,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs pointed to Contra Costa County, California, which shifted its elections to even years. The change, Hobbs said, resulted in a ballot that was six pages, with many voters opting to leave entire pages blank.

A sample ballot with local elections on an even-year ballot for Snohomish County is four pages, which Hobbs said could grow to five or six pages in a primary.

“This leads to the operational problem, and the technical problem, of trying to control these ballots, because they’re multiple pages, and issues with potential jamming, reconciliation, and just voter confusion in general,” Hobbs said.

Joining Hobbs in a bipartisan show of opposition is Sam Reed, a Republican who served as the secretary of state of Washington from 2001 to 2013. Testifying before the House Government Committee, Reed said the proposal could also prove challenging for candidates.

“I’d say this is, potentially, kind of an incumbent protection plan,” Reed said. “If you don’t want to have much visibility for your opponents, what you should do is switch to the even year. Because by the time people go through 36 other races, are they going to get down to the town council or water district or fire district? No, that’s my experience.”

Among those against the proposal is Spokane City Council Member Michael Cathcart, who introduced a city resolution to oppose the legislation. In a statement Thursday, Cathcart said “holding local elections concurrently with presidential, legislative, and congressional campaigns will leave voters little time or energy to research down-ballot issues.”

“City elections work best when voters can focus on local leadership, not when they’re lumped in with national political brawls,” Cathcart said.

The proposal cleared the House Appropriations Committee Thursday and previously received support in the House Government Committee.