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TOPIC DISCUSSION PAPER: City Council Elections
ISSUE STATEMENT: How should city council members be selected?
EXISTING CHARTER LANGUAGE: Article 8, Section 2 of the city charter delineates
the existing system that governs selection of city council members. Existing language
requires council members to be elected by position number (one through six); each
candidate is required to designate the number of the Council seat to which he or she
aspires. A candidate may run for one position in any given election.
Budget implications
: Periodic election costs.
Accountability
: Council members are elected by the city as a whole and are thus
accountable to all voters.
Community/Council impacts
: Proponents argue that the existing system results
in better debate and clarification of issues. Conversely, critics charge: 1) that the
position system can be used to target specific minority candidates; 2) that it
unnecessarily complicates the voting process and stymies a citizen’s ability to
support the candidates of his/her choice; and, 3) that it can allow unchallenged
incumbents to avoid scrutiny.
ALTERNATIVES:
Status quo
1.. Charter language remains unchanged.
Budget, accountability and impacts as outlined above.
Maintain existing position system with addition of instant voter runoff.
2.
Budget
: IVR costs (voter education and election tally) would need to be
absorbed by the city.
Accountability
: As with the status quo, council members would be
accountable to city-wide voters. However, IVR proponents argue that the
process empowers minority candidates and thus requires candidates to be
more sensitive to the range of voters.
Community/council impacts
: Proponents argue that IVR will empower
minority candidates and their issues, and perhaps encourage cooperation
among candidates, both before and after the election; additionally, IVR
may re-energize disenchanted voters through its requirement that the
winning candidate amass at least 50% of the vote. Conversely, the
complexity of IVR would require extensive voter education.
1
Implement a city-wide ward system; candidates would be elected from six
3.
different districts apportioned within city boundaries.
Budget
: Ongoing election costs should vary little from the status quo;
however, city will experience additional costs from initial implementation
and periodic reapportionment.
Accountability
: Council members will be accountable to specific
neighborhoods and specific neighbors.
Community/council impacts
: Proponents argue that wards allow voters
to choose candidates who reflect the specific needs of a neighborhood,
thus ensuring that the local agenda is represented on the council.
Conversely, critics charge that the ward system can encourage
divisiveness and undermine a city-wide vision.
Implement a city-wide ward system with addition of instant voter runoff.
4.
Budget, accountability, and impacts as outlined in options 2 and 3 above.
Eliminate position system in favor of city-wide at-large election. Top
5.
vote-getters would win council seats at issue.
Budget:
Ongoing election costs should vary little from the status quo.
Accountability
: Candidates/council members will be accountable to city-
wide voters.
Community/council impacts
: Proponents argue that a city-wide at large
election (no positions, no wards) will simplify the voting process and
enable voters to support their candidates of choice; streamlining the
selection process could result in more voter participation. Additionally, an
open field would require all candidates to campaign for office and actively
debate the issues.
2