North Carolina to Keep Congressional Seat Vacant to Save Special Election Costs
[Image courtesy of vintageroadtrip]
Regular readers of the blog may have noticed that special elections get a lot of attention in the field of election administration. Whether it’s a cascading series of legislative vacancies in California, a surprise resignation in Michigan or a controversial scheduling order in New Jersey the issue of how and when to fill an out-of-term vacancy is a constant challenge in the field.
One suggestion that’s been made to reduce the impact of special elections is to schedule them to coincide with regularly-occurring elections. The thinking is that rather than ask voters to cast ballots at an unusual time – which results in additional cost and usually lower turnout.
This week in North Carolina, Governor Pat McGrory followed that advice. The News&Observer’s Under The Dome has more:
The special election in North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District will be held along with the state’s regular elections, leaving the seat empty for what appears to be a record length of time.
Gov. Pat McCrory made the announcement Monday hours after Democratic Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte was sworn in as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency…
The special election will run concurrently with the regular election schedule, starting with a May 6 primary.
In announcing the schedule McCrory cited efficiency, cost and the desire to minimize confusion for voters.
“It was determined the most efficient process would be to roll the special election into the already established primary and general election dates,” the governor’s office said in a news release. “Cost is another factor. A stand-alone primary, runoff primary and general election would cost taxpayers in excess of $1 million.”
One thing that may have been a factor in the scheduling decision was the likelihood of a runoff, which could necessitate three rounds of balloting for the seat. According to the Charlotte Observer:
The special congressional election will be North Carolina’s first since 2004, when G.K. Butterfield won a contest to replace fellow Democrat Frank Ballance, who resigned shortly before being sentenced to prison on federal fraud charges.
But according to [State Board of Elections counsel Gerry] Cohen, there’s never been a special primary election in North Carolina …
This year, voters – and candidates – will see parallel elections for Watt’s seat.
Because this year’s special election overlaps the regular election, candidates would have to file separately for each election, the special and the regular. The first primary for each would be May 6, with the regular election appearing on the ballot just above the special election.
Because a candidate needs 40 percent to avoid a runoff, and with six Democrats already running, a July 15 runoff seems all but assured.
Not surprisingly, some of the candidates for the vacancy aren’t happy about the delay. The Observer again:
“The constituents of the 12th District deserve a quick and fair election,” state Rep. Alma Adams, D-Greensboro, said in a statement. “Instead, they are being silenced. Over 600,000 constituents will not have a voice or a vote in Congress until after November, and that is a shame.”
State Sen. Malcolm Graham agrees.
“The voters deserve a fair and quick election,” the Charlotte Democrat said. “…We really shouldn’t have to wait nearly a full year to fill this seat.”
That, of course, is the downside of synchronized special elections – but it will be interesting to see how North Carolina’s schedule works for all concerned (especially voters) and whether it can serve as a model for other jurisdictions struggling to fill vacancies in their own communities.