San Jose Spotlight reported that Mayor Sam Liccardo will not support a measure to increase voter participation in mayoral elections by moving those elections to presidential election years. The Mayor claims he opposes the shift because having to make decisions on both local and national issues would confuse voters. He states, “…it’s critical that our mayor election focuses on San Jose’s local issues and challenges, without the distraction of the chronic dysfunction of national politics.”
Unfortunately for the Mayor, there is no evidence to support his claim that voters have trouble making decisions about mayoral and presidential candidates when they appear on the same ballot. There is, however, overwhelming evidence that moving the mayoral election to presidential election years boosts democratic participation.
Moving the mayoral race to a presidential year increases voter turnout. In 2014, 46.2 percent of registered voters in San Jose came out to cast their ballots, while in the 2016 presidential election, 80.5 percent voted- that is nearly 35 percent more voters. A large portion of these voters are women, young adults, and people of color, which is why civil rights groups support the change. With a more robust level of civic engagement- across all voting groups- elected leaders will more accurately represent the whole city.
So what is the real reason Mayor Liccardo would oppose a measure that promotes democracy? The answer is that he and his backers prefer an electorate that is disproportionately white and more conservative than the city as a whole.
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