11.8.2: The Timing of Local Elections

Should local elections coincide with state and national elections?

Should local elections be conducted at the same time as statewide elections? Historically, local elections were often held in odd-numbered years or a different month than state and national elections. The result was that an election with only local contests would typically have a turnout that falls to about twenty-five percent of the eligible voters, about half of the number that voted in a statewide or national election. The lower turnout of these off-year elections also resulted in an electorate that was less representative of the total population, older, less racially diverse, and wealthier (Hajnal et al.). In 2015, the state legislature passed the California Voter Participation Rights Act that mandated that cities move municipal elections to statewide election dates if the average local turnout in the last municipal election was 25 percent less than the average turnout in the previous four statewide general elections. The legislature's motivation was straightforward: address waning political participation by consolidating elections. For the most part, municipalities have complied with little fuss. However, some charter cities have argued that the law should not apply to them and have taken the matter to court. In 2020, the California Supreme Court ruled in their favor in City of Redondo Beach v. Padilla. As part of home rule, charter cities can set the dates of their elections. Thus, we can expect some local elections to be conducted at different times than state elections if charter cities continue this practice. However, there may be political opposition to the expense and inconvenience of this practice.