Mingling partisan politics with local governance a dangerous move

This Oct. 2, there is a referendum on the local Mat-Su ballot pushing to combine the local Borough and School Board election with the state and federal elections held in early November. Why?

Several arguments, ranging from convenience, increased voter turn-out, cost savings for election operations, and less confusion over candidate roles.

Sound familiar?

Perhaps because the same item was defeated by Mat-Su voters in 2015 by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent.

Exact same referendum. Move the local election one month later, to coincide with the state and federal election.

The idea of combining the State/Federal and Borough elections to one November date seems logical on first blush. Shared voter systems would save money, and voters would have the convenience of one voting time per year. Easier to remember, better likelihood that more people would turn out.

The reality is somewhat different. Alaska state law prohibits combining state and local elections, so duplicate election processes, co-located, are the only way to offer a dual election. That means two separate lines, two separate validations of eligibility, separate voting machines and separate election workers. Confusing. Two voting areas with separate tables, separate ballot boxes and separate election judges would have to be carefully configured so voters would understand which election they were participating in and assure clear understanding. A set-up for recall due to voter misunderstanding.

Along with the Mat Su Borough and School District, the cities of Palmer, Wasilla and Houston legally hold concurrent elections with Mat Su Borough, using shared election workers and equipment.

The current combined local election system has run smoothly for many years, and at the end of the process, a clean slate of elected officials for the entire Borough is announced and certified in a timely manner. A change to a combined November election would require Palmer to change its City Charter and Wasilla and Houston to pen new ordinances or bear the significant cost of running independent elections without sharing staff and voter equipment.

Local elections are, by law, non-partisan. No official is required to declare affiliation with any party. The issues are all local- schools, roads, public safety. Mixing local day-to-day concerns with the national and statewide party-driven debates can confuse the facts and dilute the importance of local government. Historically, we have maintained separate election dates to allow a more meaningful discussion to be held on local issues without the big media blitz and partisan bickering of the November general elections.

These are challenging times economically. Any cost savings for government operations would be a win for all our Borough citizens. Unfortunately, the significant up-front costs to establish dual election operations is daunting. Expenses to recruit, train, and accommodate a projected 160 additional election officials for our 41 Precincts and 78,000 registered voters, are projected by $160,000, according to the Mat Su Borough Clerk. Election officials are temporary employees, and very hard to come by! Our Mat-Su election officials have been excellent, with longtime experience and a consistent record of accuracy and reliability. Many of these same election workers also handle the state/federal November election, using the same voting machinery and process. With a concurrent election, they would not be available for both election processes, nor would the state-leased equipment.

Here’s a better solution. What if we moved the election to another time of year? Say April, when Anchorage holds its municipal election. Or better yet, what if we follow Anchorage’s lead and develop a mail-in voting option. Anchorage had its highest voter turn-out in its history this Spring using the mail-in ballot option! Now there’s an idea for clear-cut increased voter turnout, and once the kinks are worked out, additional benefit from shared resources and cost savings for use of voting equipment.

If we’re looking for a referendum that truly promotes improved voter participation and satisfaction at lower cost while retaining the non-partisan character of local governance, the current proposed referendum to combine voting dates with the state and feds is not the solution. Mixing local issues with state and federal politics detracts from our very important issues of roads, schools, and public safety .

Do we need to make a change and address our traditional low voter turn-out? Let’s consider an April date for our local elections, a mail-in ballot option, or some combination thereof that affords us true cost savings and more local engagement!

Barb Doty has served on the Matanuska Susitna Borough Assembly for the past four years. The preceding opinion is not an official one, and the Mat-Su Borough Assembly has not taken a position on this issue.