Testimony Before the Washington State House Government and Tribal Relations Committee

John Ketcham testified in a hearing in support of HB 1339, a bill to shift general elections for local government to even-numbered years to increase voter participation. 

Watch the full testimony here.

Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testify on HB 1339. My name is John Ketcham, and I am a legal policy fellow and director of Cities at the Manhattan Institute. The views I express today are solely my own, not my employer’s. 

The timing of local elections plays a critical role in shaping democratic participation, representativeness, and the effectiveness of local government. Odd-year local elections consistently see far lower turnout than those held alongside federal contests, reducing political competition and increasing the influence of special interests, particularly public-sector unions. Low-turnout local races allow small but highly motivated groups of voters like public employees to determine outcomes that affect the entire population. 

Research shows that moving local general elections to even numbered years is the single most impactful way to raise voter participation. Cities such as Phoenix, Arizona; Austin, Texas; El Paso, Texas; and Baltimore, Maryland experienced turnout increases of between 240% and 460% after adopting this reform for mayoral elections. Such sharp increases generally exceed the effects of ballot roll-off. 

Click here to read the full testimony.

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John Ketcham is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute.