Mayor Seeks Election Date Shift to Boost Voter Turnout

Hoping to cut costs in half while doubling voter turnout in local elections, San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock on Thursday proposed that City Council races be shifted from odd- to even-numbered years and consolidated with statewide elections.

Calling the 28% turnout in this month’s City Council elections “not a very good commentary on our ideal of representative democracy,” Hedgecock told a City Hall news conference that his proposal would “dramatically increase” voter participation by linking local races with gubernatorial and presidential elections, which command greater public interest.

In addition, the plan, scheduled to be debated Monday by the council’s Rules Committee, would save the city about $300,000 a year by allowing the city to split ballot-printing and precinct costs with the county, Hedgecock explained. Currently, the city pays about $2.2 million over a four-year period for mayoral elections and the biennial council races. However, if the council races are moved to even-numbered years, the city’s cost would be reduced to about $1 million, according to City Clerk Charles G. Abdelnour.

If approved by the City Council, the charter amendment would then require voter approval. The earliest date that the measure could be put before the voters would be June.

Noting that the 28% turnout in the November general election followed a record low 16% turnout in the September primary, Hedgecock said that a major impetus behind his proposal is the fact that newly elected council members “must begin work with the knowledge that only a tiny portion of the people that they will represent were involved in selecting them.”

“Fewer and fewer San Diegans are exercising their right to participate in local elections,” Hedgecock said. “The importance of this lack of participation in local elections cannot be overstated.”

Figures from recent elections show that turnout in the city’s odd-numbered year elections has been roughly half that of the even-numbered year statewide elections. For example, voter turnout in San Diego was 76.6% in the 1980 presidential general election, dropped to 36.2% in the 1981 City Council races, then rebounded to 66.6% in the 1982 gubernatorial race. Similarly, the 72.1% turnout figure in the 1984 presidential race far outdistanced the 38.2% and 28% turnouts in the 1983 and 1985 council races, respectively.

Last year, both the San Diego city schools and the community college districts moved their elections from odd to even years to reduce costs. Beginning this year, both school systems expect to save about $100,000 per election, Hedgecock said, adding that the absence of the school races from this month’s ballot contributed to the low turnout.

“By keeping our local elections separate from the statewide, presidential and school district elections, we miss the chance to hear the collective voice of a majority of San Diego citizens,” Hedgecock said. “We also spend a lot more money . . . that can well be used in other areas.”

Concern over low voter turnout in odd-year elections prompted public approval of a charter amendment in the 1970s that shifted elections for mayor and city attorney to the even-year cycle--a change that has produced significantly higher turnouts in those local contests. In 1979, the last regularly scheduled odd-year mayoral race, the two candidates received a total of 153,224 votes. However, 374,809 votes were cast in last year’s mayoral election--205,990 for Hedgecock and 149,939 for Dick Carlson.

Hedgecock pointed out that because mayoral elections already are held in even-numbered years, he is the only one on the council who can propose revising the timetable for council races “without being charged with some kind of personal interest.”

Hedgecock added that council members are divided on the question but that he hopes the council will ultimately allow the voters to make a decision on “this . . . good government measure.”

Councilwoman Gloria McColl, however, expressed some reservations about Hedgecock’s plan, saying that she is “open-minded . . . but (needs) to be convinced that this is a good idea.”

“Cutting costs and increasing public participation in elections is something we’re all interested in,” McColl said. “But I guess my basic question about this plan is, is something really broke and do we need to fix it?” Other council members could not be reached for comment.

In a report to the Rules Committee, Abdelnour identifies several options that could be used to bring council races in sync with statewide elections. For example, the mayor and all eight council members could be elected simultaneously every four years, or half the council could be elected every two years, as now occurs.

In order to get the city and state election schedules to coincide, it would be necessary, on a one-time basis, to alter the terms at stake in a future council election, according to City Atty. John W. Witt. For example, the charter amendment could specify that victors in the 1987 council elections would receive either a three- or five-year term, so that the next subsequent election would fall in an even-numbered year. Henceforth, the council’s normal four-year terms could return.

“They can lengthen or shorten the terms to get them in sync, but you’d probably have to do it on a prospective basis in a future election,” Witt said. “I don’t think that you can play around with an existing term. Once people elect someone for four years, I don’t believe you can change the length of the term.”

One of the major arguments against consolidating city elections with statewide races is that such a shift could diminish the attention that local voters give to local races. Under that theory, presidential and gubernatorial races, as well as other statewide and congressional contests, would easily overshadow city elections. Moreover, some critics argue that changing city races to even years could be a hardship for local candidates, who would have to compete with state and federal candidates for news media attention and scarce campaign dollars.

“It could be argued that local elections might suffer because they would be competing for finite resources, in terms of news coverage and money, with more interesting and glamorous campaigns,” said San Diego Chamber of Commerce President Lee Grissom.

Similarly, McColl said she fears that local elections would “get lost” if conducted at the same time as state and national elections.

“As to whether the low turnouts now mean that voters are satisfied with the way things are going or maybe trying to show a little revolt, I don’t know how to judge that,” McColl said. “But with the information put out about local elections, the people who do vote now at least are informed. My concern is that if we throw a multitude of other races on top of local elections, our local races might not get the attention they deserve.”

Hedgecock, however, argues that public attention in local races, as reflected in the low turnout figures, is already so low that consolidation would be unlikely to cause a further decrease.

Another key political consideration is that moving council races to even years could eliminate what Hedgecock termed the “free rides” whereby current council members can run for mayor or other local or statewide offices without jeopardizing their seats. However, an even-year election plan would force council members to choose between their current and hoped-for positions, Hedgecock noted.

Smiling wryly, Hedgecock added that he believes that council members “are not going to deprive the voters of the right to consider this change just because they may have some personal interest in running for mayor at some time.”

“I certainly hope that they would not put themselves in that position,” Hedgecock added. “It would be stupid.”