Q&A
Proposal to align city elections with federal elections and associated challenges
1:49:11
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174 sec
Paul Seamus Ryan and Michael Ryan discuss the proposal to align city elections with federal elections (Resolution 189) and the potential challenges associated with this change. The discussion covers both the benefits and complications of such alignment.
- Paul Seamus Ryan supports Resolution 189, calling it a 'silver bullet' for improving voter turnout
- Michael Ryan highlights potential complications, including issues with merging ranked-choice voting ballots and non-ranked-choice voting ballots
- Concerns about increased ballot length and complexity are raised
- The potential impact on voter education and ballot design is discussed
Paul Seamus Ryan
1:49:11
Yeah.
1:49:11
I think there's a silver bullet, and it's the policy change that is advocated by Resolution 189.
1:49:17
It's aligning city elections into even year, with federal elections.
1:49:21
Yep.
1:49:22
You know, when we were contemplating designing or developing our strategic plan that, we finalized in August, we were thinking about whether we should have a voter turnout North Star goal.
1:49:34
And as we considered it, we thought it would be so dependent on we'd wanna 6 set something ambitious, a big number, get us much closer to the voter registration, number or much closer to federal election participation, voter turnout, and it's so dependent on this realignment of elections.
1:49:51
So that's the that's the big one, and that's why we support resolution 189.
1:49:55
That's why we're advocating that change.
1:49:57
But the one other thing we're doing that's a little bit more modest is just really studying whether or not the educational materials that we're producing and disseminating to get voters, to the polls, whether they're working, whether they're landing, so we did incorporate that as a North Star goal, which is, whether 90% of our voters find our information and materials relevant, helpful, and accessible.
1:50:19
It's measurable, and it's going to force us to do some message testing and get a little more scientific to try to move the ball in that direction.
1:50:26
But
Michael Ryan
1:50:28
And chair Ressler, if I could just supplement that.
1:50:33
While there hasn't been a legislative initiative in my time as a commissioner, my time as the executive director, that the elections, that the elections board of elections has not been able to meet.
1:50:45
We meet our statutory requirements.
1:50:47
I just would like to say, that as this moves forward and we'll work with the state legislature, that there are complications associated with aligning the elections in the even years.
1:50:57
And I'll point out, 2, basic ones.
1:51:02
We we cannot merge a a rank choice voting ballot on the same page as a as a non rank choice voting ballot.
1:51:09
So if there's gonna be city council and mayoral races
David M. Carr
1:51:11
This is a good
Michael Ryan
1:51:12
in in primary elections with other mixed races, We there'll be separate ballots.
1:51:17
So that's a, a challenge in voter education, not not so much a challenge in technology, but moving forward into the presidential election, staying away from the regular other elections.
1:51:29
But if you move into the presidential election, there are challenges associated assuming that the same voter system that we have presently remains in place.
1:51:38
There are challenges associated with the volume of paper, that's going to be associated by, multiple page ballots.
1:51:47
We had a few counties that had it.
1:51:49
They were the larger counties this year.
1:51:51
But that would increase the likelihood that the ballots would be, multiple pages, you know, for the general election.
1:51:59
Not insurmountable, but certainly things to be aware of
Paul Seamus Ryan
1:52:02
and things to be Well, a lot of
Lincoln Restler
1:52:03
potential challenges.
1:52:04
I I appreciate you raising both.
1:52:05
Yes.
Paul Seamus Ryan
1:52:05
Look, I
