New Hampshire Representative Charles Sova (R-Orange) has introduced CACR1, a proposed amendment to the State Constitution that would move state and local elections from even-numbered years to odd-numbered years. Thanks to Howard Wilson for this news.
The only states that elect their Governors in odd years are New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Kentucky is especially peculiar because its state legislative elections are in even years, yet the state executive elections are in odd years.
How much added costs for the suffering taxpayers in NH for any change ???
How can Richard call Kentucky “especially peculiar” for electing its legislature in even years and its executive officers in odd years? That’s almost exactly what San Francisco, where Richard lives does. The members of the Board of Supervisors are elected in even years, but the Mayor and most other elected executive officers are elected in odd years.
Yes, San Francisco is peculiar also!
#3 And it was an accident in San Francisco.
San Francisco had long used odd-year elections, electing half the supervisors in each election, as well as half the city and county officers. Over time, the number of elected offices was reduced, as was the number of supervisors.
In 1976 voters approved district elections of supervisors which were first held in 1977 for all districts. Supervisors who had been elected at-large in 1975 to a 4-year term had it shortened to two years.
The first district elections were in 1977, with half elected for a 2-year term, and half for a 4-year term. In June 1978, voters approved runoffs for all offices – previously it had only been for mayor.
In 1979, district elections were held in half the districts for a 4-year term. In August 1980, voters approved a return to at-large elections for supervisors with all supervisors elected in November 1980. District supervisors, half who had served less than one year of 4-year term had their terms short-circuited. It was recall by stealth. Because there is not a simple system for runoffs in multi-member offices, these were eliminated.
In November 1980 all supervisors were elected at-large, which switched them to even year elections. This also meant that there were some odd-year elections that had almost no officers being elected. But they rarely had so many as two candidates, so there wasn’t much chance of a runoff.
In November 1996 voters approved a return to district elections, to begin in 2000. The last set of at-large supervisors elected in 1998 would serve 2-year terms. The first district elections were held in November 2000, with runoffs in several races.
In 2001, there were a couple of citywide races that went to a runoff, which had dismal turnout, because nobody cared who was elected (generally there was only one candidate or two candidates). And these elections were isolated because of the switch to even-year elections for supervisors made back in 1980.
In March 2002, voters approved IRV, but because of implementation delays was not put in effect until 2004. The mayoral election in 2003 had a conventional runoff, and greater turnout than the first round.
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