MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Voters in the Morgantown municipal election will have more ballot issues than candidates to decide in April.
Wards 2, 4, and 6 are on the ballot, but the only contested race is in the Sixth Ward between Mark Downs and Stephanie Hunt. Voters will decide the fate of Morgantown’s camping ban legislation and a charter change that could allow a future city manager to live outside city limits.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” professor of political science and Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs in the John D. “Jay” Rockefeller School of Policy and Politics at West Virginia University (WVU), Sam Workman, said ballot issues are typically succinct, narrow questions posed to the public that prevent typical debate that can help tailor legislation to fit community needs.
“Most legislation works its way through an institution with an opportunity for amendments and changing the text of the legislation,” Workman said. “Ballot initiatives don’t really present that; it’s an all-or-nothing proposition.”
The voters who come out for a ballot issue are usually extremely committed to one side or the other. Workman said in some cases people on one side or the other can use power, influence, or money to drive public opinion on a given issue.
“In terms of elections and campaigns, they tend to be disproportionately dominated by factions with intense preferences, and they also tend to be disproportionately dominated by folks with resources and organization,” Workman said.
The campaigns focus on the talking points of the issue and in many cases leave out the circumstances that contribute to the root cause of an issue, like available and affordable housing in Morgantown.
“The issues that tie most to housing problems are building codes and zoning issues,” Workman said. “The average voter doesn’t really see the interconnectiveness of the issues on the ballot.”
Workman also said off-cycle elections do not encourage the average voter to participate and most generally benefit the incumbent. Additionally, the voters that do participate are voters with established opinions and feelings that are not likely to be changed.
“Folks who have the most intense preferences are the most likely to show up, whether they represent the majority preference or not,” Workman said. ” ‘That’s true of any election where the turnout is going to be low.”
Partisan elections in a traditional mayor-city council form of government held in cycle with local, state, and federal elections have the highest turnouts. People can identify with a party and candidate aligned with their beliefs that encourages and validates their participation in the election process.
“That’s what gives voters the most information about candidates and makes them feel more comfortable coming out to vote,” Workman said. “The second is to hold elections on cycle with county, state, and federal elections.”