The governor has signed the bill to move local elections to the fall. We share these concerns.
“[T]here are a number of other questions about this law. Primary among those is why legislators felt it necessary to change a system that had worked well for decades. Advocates of the law say it will boost voter turnout because people are more accustomed to voting in November. That’s a questionable claim that really wasn’t supported with any data during legislative discussions.
“On the down side, the new election calendar will mean that school board members now will take office in the middle of a school and budget year and that the campaign season for these elections will be twice as long. Maybe that will give voters more time to get to know the candidates and where they stand, but it remains to be seen whether the additional time will boost voter interest or turnout.
“If turnout doesn’t increase, legislators may use that as a reason to take the next step of moving local elections to November of even-numbered years, combining them with state and national elections and perhaps requiring local candidates to run with a party affiliation. The bill signed Monday will change the election calendar in arguably negative ways, but making local elections partisan would change the whole tone of those elections for the worse. It’s a step that Kansas voters should vigorously oppose and make sure their legislators are listening.”
Read more here: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2015/jun/10/editorial-election-move/?opinion