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There is a bill that passed the Arizona State Senate Judiciary Committee. It is HB2826. This bill would consolidate most elections to one date in November. For example, the next Oro Valley election, the election of 2014, would be moved the November of 2013, with those elected taking their seats in January of 2014.
Proponents of the bill argue that it will save money and increase voter participation.
"Special interest groups that enjoy advancing their agendas under the
radar in off-cycle elections are likely to oppose HB 2826. But the
measure is a slam-dunk for Arizonans who want to give all voters a voice
in elections at every level of government," notes the Goldwater Institute.
Opponents of the bill argue that local
governments should be allowed to have their elections whenever they
wish.
Our take is that combining non partisan and partisan elections introduces partisanship into a local non partisan election. This, we think, is not a good thing. Party affiliation at the local level does not provide insight into the worth of a candidate; nor does it provide insight into what the candidate believes should happen at the local level.
What's your take? Is this good or bad for Oro Valley?
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