Dismal turnout adds fuel to call for even-year vote

Thursday, June 9, 2005 | 9:32 a.m.

The low voter turnout in Clark County on Tuesday has renewed calls for municipal races to coincide with state and federal elections when turnout is greater.

Tuesday's general election turnout of 12 percent marked the lowest turnout in the last four election cycles dating to 1999 and continues a downward trend, according to the Clark County Election Department. In 1999, the county's general election turnout was nearly twice as high as 2005 -- 23.5 percent.

April's primary showing of 7.6 percent is lowest of the last four elections. There was a 22.7 percent turnout in the 1999 primary. The election department does not have countywide turnout numbers for municipal elections prior to 1999.

Sen. Barbara Cegavaske, R-Las Vegas, proposed Senate Bill 252 that was approved by her colleagues by a 19-1 margin in April but didn't make it out of the Assembly at the end of the session, she said.

The bill would have resulted in the cities holding primaries starting in August 2006 and the general election in November to coincide with the race for governor. Races would have also coincided with the 2008 presidential campaign.

"I would have thought we would have this after the last (municipal) election," Cegavaske said. "This one should make it overwhelming. To me it was a no-brainer. We should have done it without any hesitation."

By moving the election to the even-numbered years, cities could save the $1 million that is spent in Clark County for the primaries and general elections, said Cegavaske. She said she has already drafted a similar bill for the next legislative session.

The push for changing the election cycle has been strongly opposed by Las Vegas, which passed a resolution backing the existing system. The city also had its lobbyist fight against the bill.

David Riggleman, Las Vegas' communications director, said the council wants to maintain the existing election cycle to preserve the grass-roots nature of the campaign.

"It is nonpartisan, and they want to preserve the integrity of the local race," Riggleman said.

Cegavaske said she's heard from colleagues and lobbyists that the opposition from some cities and rural areas was simply political turf protection: Some city officials were worried that moving elections would shorten their existing terms by several months. Others are apparently concerned that would lose control over elections with a greater turnout.

"They felt with less numbers it would be easier to control who wins," Cegavaske said. "That made me very angry because we weren't looking at what was best."

The push for municipal elections in even-numbered years has its supporters in the municipal ranks. Cities in Washoe County already follow that system, and Clark County Elections Registrar Larry Lomax said Clark County voters could be asked to implement the change as well.

North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon, who won a third term Tuesday and is ineligible for another bid, said he's convinced a change needs to be made.

When he won his first election in 1997, North Las Vegas had a 28 percent turnout. The city had a 20.6 percent turnout in the 2001 primary when Montandon won re-election and a 14.3 percent turnout on Tuesday.

"The turnout was pitiful, and I think if that's what it takes to get the turnout up, I would be for it," Montandon said. "Nothing is more important than turnout, and the numbers have not gone up in eight years despite the growth in the city. The best way for us to get more turnout is to move it to the fall."

Las Vegas, which had one council race on the ballot, had a 11.9 percent turnout on Tuesday. Henderson, which had one race for Municipal Court, had a 6.8 percent turnout. Boulder City and Mesquite, as usual, led the way with turnouts of 44.6 percent and 40.3 percent, respectively.

Lomax said he believes the downward trend for voting in municipal elections is traced to the popularity of mayors in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. Hotly contested mayoral races are what typically brings out voters for municipal elections, and such races have been rare, he said.

Lomax said, however, he's disappointed with the turnout and would like the elections switched to coincide with federal and statewide races and save the cities money they now spend on the spring elections. The turnout for the September primary was 25 percent, while nearly 80 percent went to the polls in November.

"I would think that if ever there was a case to be made, it would be this election cycle," Lomax said. "It is very expensive to put on an election, and you have such low turnouts."

Riggleman, however, suggested the reason for the low turnouts is that voters are content with the way city governments are operating.

"They turn out when they are not happy with the way things are going," Riggleman said. "That is what we would like to believe."

Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson, D-North Las Vegas, said he believes turnout is low because after voters go through a presidential election in November, the last thing many want to do so soon is casting another ballot. He said some incumbents fear changes in the system because it may be harder for them to raise money during federal and statewide races.

Henderson Councilwoman Amanda Cyphers said she understands both arguments but prefers the existing election cycle. Having city races added to presidential ballots might overwhelm voters, and they might not be as well informed about the candidates, Cyphers said. The municipal races would get scant media attention and people might ultimately decide to vote for someone because they are listed first on the ballot or liked the sound of their name, she said.

Proponents of the change say some voters make choices that way no matter when elections are held.

Cyphers also said that although some have suggested holding municipal elections in the fall may hurt incumbents, the political winds almost always favor those in office anyway.

Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro said he didn't think the proposed change "would make much a difference with the results. The election results are greater when candidates have great name recognition as well as a great presence in the community."