Balanced Election Calendar

A Proposal for Changing Wisconsin's Election Calendar

2010 may be be the last year Wisconsin has the partisan primary in September, due to recent federal legislation.  The MOVE act will require an earlier primary in future years.  Some states have responded to the federal mandate by moving their primary to August, but August is a challenging month for engaging voters.  Details of the MOVE act are on the Government Accountability Board website.

Let’s take a fresh look at the entire calendar.  The proposed “Balanced Elections Calendar” has two elections most years, would keep the non-partisan elections separate from the partisan elections, allow flexibility in scheduling the partisan primary and the presidential primary, and result in elections that are more cost-effective.

Summary of the current schedule:  Non-partisan elections (many local offices, judges, supreme court and state superintendent of public schools) are held each year in February and April.  Partisan elections are in September and November of even numbered years

Summary of proposed changes:  Non-partisan elections would be kept in the spring, but would be held only every other year, in the year when there are no partisan elections.  This opens the calendar in even number years, so that the partisan primary and presidential primary can be scheduled at the best time.

Features of the Proposed Balanced Election Calendar

• Provides several choices for moving the September primary, so there is a sufficient gap between the primary and general election.  The current time gap is too short to meet the new requirement to send a ballot to military and overseas voters at least 45 days before a November election.
• Maintains separation of partisan and non-partisan elections.  (Article VII, section 9 of the Wisconsin Constitution states “There shall be no election for a justice or judge at the partisan general election for state or county officers, nor within 30 days either before or after such election.”)
• Groups a larger quantity of non-partisan elections, which may improve interest and participation.  For instance, one election cycle could feature a mayoral contest, and the next non-partisan election cycle (two years later) could feature the County Executive contest.  Each cycle would have a high profile contest.
• Saves money due to fewer elections in a four-year cycle.  This proposal will have nine elections in four years, instead of the current schedule of twelve elections in four years.
• Moves the February election two weeks later to reduce the possibility of snow on Election Day.
• Allows optimum scheduling of the presidential primary, independent of the existing non-partisan spring elections.  Future February presidential primaries may be discouraged by party rule, and April primaries are often deemed too late.  http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/113163-new-presidential-primary-rules-will-alter-2012-contest
• Balances the workload for election administrators, as each year would only have two election, except the presidential primary year would have three.