Voters just finished nominating Republicans and Democrats for municipal elections in November and voting on referenda. Turnout was low.
In Allen County, the turnout was about 10%. DeKalb County was the turnout bright spot of northeast Indiana at about 19%.
This is not unique to northeast Indiana. Marion County’s turnout was less than 13%. Saint Joseph County’s was less than 10%. Floyd County’s was just under 9%.
Several factors contribute to low voter turnout including a lack of contested races.
People voting in the Fort Wayne city council district where I live had one contested race on the Republican ballot and two on the Democratic ballot. The largest city in Whitley County only had one contested race and that was for a city council district. Whitley’s turnout was less than 5%.
According to a YouGov poll conducted after the 2022 midterm election, 31% of respondents said the lack of competitive races was a reason they did not vote. How many competitive races are necessary to make it worth a voter’s time? Is it three? Four?
Another factor contributing to low voter turnout is who can vote in a primary election. Voters must request either the Republican or Democratic ballot and that information becomes part of the voter file. Not every voter is able to decide on a party and others do not want a record of their selection.
The reality is that primary elections are a party function carried out by the government. Having the government do this makes some sense. They have expertise, procedures, and equipment to carry out elections. It also allows for broader participation by members of the party who may not attend party functions or be particularly active in the party.
A path forward
Some changes could help improve voter turnout. At least one will help with the cost of administering elections. Just about every change will require action by the state legislature.
First, the political parties could take over the task of nominating candidates and hold caucuses. This will save tax dollars, but it also will decrease participation. Not every party member can attend a caucus due to their schedules. Others may not attend because they are not full-throated members of the party and might not feel welcome. If these are just party functions, then perhaps participation should be limited to people willing to say they are a member of a party and prioritize attending the caucus.
Second, Indiana could change the primary law to allow voters to vote in the primary of their choice regardless of their party affiliation. In areas dominated by one party, the primary is the race that matters. Allowing everyone to vote in that primary would allow members of the minority party to have a greater say in who will hold office. It also means minority parties will be able to influence the majority party and that might not be the right thing to do if the primary is supposed to nominate candidates who reflect the party?
Third, Indiana could just put all candidates on a single ballot. If a candidate gets a majority of votes, that candidate is the winner. If no one gets a majority, the top two vote getters go to a run-off election later in the year.
Fourth, Indiana could try ranked choice voting, sometimes called instant run-off. In this method there is only one round of voting. Voters rank the candidates — favorite, second favorite, third favorite, etc. Votes are counted based on the first-preferences of voters. If a candidate is the first choice for a majority of voters, that candidate wins. If no one gets a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated and the second favorite for those voters is included in the next round of counting. This process continues until a candidate has a majority. Voters like this because they can express their true first choice and not limit their selection to a second or third choice who has a chance of winning on a single round of voting. It also can save tax dollars because there is only one round of voting.
Historically, municipal primaries have the lowest turnout of all elections. On the upside we can be relatively certain the turnout will be better this fall. Maybe that is good enough.