King County Council debating measure to move voting to even-numbered years

The King County Council is debating a measure that would move voting to even-numbered years, meaning that local and national elections would line up.

Although the council has already voted on the issue themselves, how we vote would ultimately be decided by the voters at the ballot box in November.

Since more people turn out for banner national elections in even-numbered years, the idea is that there would be greater turn-out for local elections if they were voted on at the same time.

Some councilmembers have expressed concern that local races would get less attention if they were put alongside major national races, but the vast majority of public comments favored even-numbered year voting.

Those who are advocating for elections in even years say the voices of half a million King County residents are being silenced in odd-year elections. Be it apathy, disengagement, or just pure ignorance, odd-year voting is leading to some odd results.

King County Elections says 2021 saw voter turn-out just below 44%. In 2020, it was closer to 90%.

Those stats have fueled advocates to call for change and all elections to be held in even years.

Some, including King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, argued against moving to even years.

“Asking voters to consider local and national elections in the same year is completely misguided and would surely allow the drama and partisanship of national politics to drown out the local, nuts-and-bolts issues that are integral to our daily lives,” Dunn said in a statement.

Other councilmembers admitted that they were hesitant on the idea of changing election years but were convinced by advocates, who contend that efforts to enlist more voters would also fare better in even years since the stats for even years dwarf the odd years.

The Northwest Progressive Institute’s coalition for even-year elections says that even-year elections would put King County in sync with the majority of counties in the state which do have even-year votes, and may convince hold-out counties to make the shift themselves.

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