Thread by @shayshinecastle

Two proposals under Election priorities:
Put together (or revive) an elections working group
Move CC elections to even years

Benjamin: This is an extension of work already started to include more people in our community, via direct election of the mayor (OK'd in 2020) and our racial equity work.

Benjamin was a member of the previous election and campaign finance working group, "which was limited in scope and reactionary by design."

One of the things that happened before that group was established were complaints about campaign advertising. So they focused a lot of time on reforming those rules (and they they are *super* strict).

But their work also led to online petitioning.

Joseph, also presenting: We ask council to put a ballot measure on in 2022, moving CC elections to even years, but not go into effect into 2024

Joseph *may* have been referring to an elections working group starting in 2024. Apologies; that is unclear to me.

RE: even-year elections: It's fundamental to hear from a majority of residents. Turnover in even years is way above and beyond odd years.

"Just by an ordinance change, we can get 25,000 more people to participate," Benjamin says.

Speer: "This is one of the ways we can shore up our democracy. We are disproportionately representing people who turn out in odd years. The ppl who tend to be left out tend to be younger, lower-income and those from marginalized communities."

"It's a relatively easy way for us to dramatically increase the numbers of people who are being heard. Particular with the national issues going on with voter suppression," Speer says.

Proposal for this is a 2022 ballot item, with implementation in 2024 or 2026.

"This is well within our purview as a municipality" under state law, Speer says.

One possible conflict: The election of Boulder's mayor, starting new in 2023.

The city could keep that on odd years, since the mayor doesn't really matter anyway. Or maybe delay that until 2024 or whenever this even-year starts.

Speer clarifying: The mayor *has* to be elected in the same year as the rest of council.

Also some timing issues with council members who are serving odd-year to odd-year terms.

We couldn't shorten those terms, Speer says. We'd have to extend them by a year.

Last little election suggestion from Benjamin: Let the municipal judge handle campaign finance complaints, rather than city staff.

Appropriate, since a finance complaint is currently working its way through now (Rosenblum). Hearing on Feb. 14.

Winer: I like odd years bc we're focusing only on local politics. If we move it to even years, there's national politics to contend with. "We must have had a reason for putting them on odd years."

"Of course the more voters the better, but I want to talk about the pros and cons," Winer says.

Friend: Didn't we have a blue ribbon commission working on election stuff?
Chris Meschuk: We had an election working group. And we've had the council charter committee working on council pay and other things. Does not remember a blue ribbon panel.

Friend: We authorized it at the last retreat. Maybe that never started....?

"Idk what a blue ribbon panel even is," Friend says, "but I think we're supposed to have one."

Friend: "If we vote on this in 2022 and it's supposed to happen in 2024, is that like a sentence of an extra year for those of us who are currently on? I'm done in 2023, and I'm sure there are people who are counting down the calendar days until Rachel Friend is done."

Speer: That would be the ask. But it's part of the discussion.
Benjamin: There's v clear guidance in state law for this. We don't determine that.

Yates, jumping back to the work group: That election committee was never assigned or committed. It's supposed to start this year and come back with recommendations in the spring or summer. That's not a workplan item; we just need to pick ppl and go.

Yates is a big fan of having the municipal judge handling election complaints — if Judge Cooke has capacity.

Cooke: This is a tricky area for a judge. It's not the judge's role to weigh in on policy things. We don't have experience with these kinds of cases, other than the one that is currently pending. But we should have the capacity, if you decide that's what you want.

Wallach: "My term is up in 2025. If you need somebody to shorten their term, we could have a good conversation about that."

Wallach doesn't want to move CC elections to even years: If you're electing a pres or senator, "That will simply suck all the air out of council elections."

Wallach: "It is not the case that people are left out. Whether people choose to vote or not vote ... It's not voter suppression, it's simply a fact of life."

"I'm not sure it's a good thing for the city of Boulder," Wallach says.

Speer: Other cities and states have made this switch. Calif made a law that any city with odd-year turnout 25% or less than even years had to move their elections.

"There are down-ballot falloffs," Speer says. "But the dif between odd and even years in those municipal elections is still *very* significant. It's still increasing turnout substantially."

Dr. Speer with the data

Benjamin: "It is really incumbent upon us to recognize the historical context in which odd-year elections were established. It's not a pretty history."

It might not be the reason we do it today, but the ramifications of historic disenfranchisement are still there, Benjamin says. We need to recognize that and apply actions today to make sure we're not continuing those mistakes, or exacerbating them.

In 2020, we had a presidential election and 54,000 people *still* voted for municipalization, Benjamin says. We have to have faith that our electorate is smart and will vote on important issues.

OK, moving on from elections. New thread!

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