SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A piece of legislation awaiting Gov. Susana Martinez’s signature would reshape the political landscape for school boards, cities and other nonpartisan local governments in New Mexico by consolidating elections and putting them before voters in November every other year.
Currently, such elections draw little attention, with some garnering zero ballots, The Albuquerque Journal reported (https://bit.ly/2nZmAtT).
Political analyst Brian Sanderoff said combining school board and municipal elections could boost turnout significantly. School elections on their own draw maybe 5 percent turnout, but Sanderoff said municipalities attract up to 45 percent.
“School board candidates are going to have to reach out to a larger proportion of the electorate in order to get their message across and be successful,” he said.
Municipalities would have the option of opting out of the combined elections. Other agencies with taxing authorities could not opt out and would have to consolidate their elections into one in the fall.
Some cities like Albuquerque and Las Cruces already hold their elections in the fall, meaning shifting over wouldn’t be too hard.
“This is about the voter - the voter knowing when an election is taking place and the voter having a say on how the voter gets taxed,” said Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, an Albuquerque Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. “They can’t make a choice if they don’t know when the election is happening.”
Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull said Rio Rancho will likely opt out. Currently, the city holds elections in March of even-numbered years. He said the risk of combining municipal races is that voters may not know what they’re being asked to vote on.
“When your ballot is long and confusing,” Hull said, “people lose interest in it. . We want to be able to articulate our ballot concerns without having them diluted with a lot of other questions.”
Martinez has until April 7 to sign the bill or it automatically is vetoed.
The bill would be phased in over time, beginning next year. Most governments would have new elections dates starting in 2019. Conservancy districts would get a bit more time to move their elections.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, https://www.abqjournal.com
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