http://www.chris-spangle.com/2007/12/12/indy-undercovers-identitiy-and-abdul/

While keeping the municipal elections in odd numbered years has its benefits, not all school districts hold their elections in May as written. According to LSA, of the data available from 280 out of the 293 school corporations in Indiana, 76 hold their elections in November, 187 hold their elections in May, and 17 school corporations appoint their board members. Shortening the time between the primary and general election would also present logistical problems for the county clerks’ offices. You have to allow time for recounts/contests, time to program the machines, update vote histories, conduct public tests on machines before an election, fill vacancies, print ballots, and allow time for absentee voting, just to mention some of the activities required to hold an election. The effort it takes to put on an election often goes on unnoticed, but holding a general election just 2 months after a primary would not be possible under current state and federal law. The conversation is a good one to have; I just toss these facts into the mix.

I don’t know if a summer election would increase voter turnout. Everybody knows elections are in November and look at how pathetic the participation is. By changing it to summer, you are asking people to think a whole different way and people don’t like change. Heck, look at DST – it makes our state more viable in commerce and yet yahoos all over the place are screaming.

What we will have is voter burnout. We are all ready having it. The candidates for President were already running back during the 2006 election cycle and I say WE NEED A BREAK. A break from the constant yammering and pointing fingers.

I would like to think that the Commission’s report will receive serious attention, it was done with people from both sides of the aisle. The people in the State of Indiana DESERVE better than what they are getting, but there goes those yahoos again….

Show me proof that DST actually makes the state more viable in commerce and I’ll stop protesting it.

Otherwise, I agree with anonymouse. We don’t need elections every year.

Yes…PLEASE shorten the time between primaries and the election date. I’m already tired of the candidates for President..and it’s still 11 months away!!!!!
Thanks to the inventor of the remote control!

“The goal is to increase voter participation”

Actually, I think the goal is to decrease spending; plenty of tax dollars are used to fund the election process. Poll books and paper ballots have printing costs, poll workers get paid, software developers cost money, etc. Cutting that overhead IN HALF by consolidating election years seems more than reasonable.

Noticed a couple things the vaunted commission didn’t recommend:

1) Get the state out of the primary business. The primaries are solely the interest of political parties, the state government has no interest or stake in them. The 2 big political parties set things up so school board elections are in May, which provides an excuse for the state to pay the costs of the primaries.

The parties should pay for their own primaries if they want them. Political parties are not a “requirement”, Jefferson did not foresee them for example.

2) Nothing about stopping government subsidies for sports and convention centers…Ft Wayne and E-ville are both going down the same death spiral Indy is in.

Jay, I couldn’t agree more: Primaries are “Party Functions”; a way for the two major parties to pick their horses…conveniently funded on the taxpayers’ nickel. Not everyone is an R or a D, but everyone sure pays for it. Parties should finance their own internal functions through private political contributions (if parties know how to do anything, it’s fundraise). But as long as the D’s and R’s are the ones voting on it, it will never happen.

Before primaries, there were party conventions (smoke filled rooms, party bosses,unelected power brokers controlling who voters could vote for, etc.) If you do away with primaries, that’s what you’ll get again. I’m OK with that but understand the consequences.

Abdul, I follow you, but I think this recommendations runs contrary to a long-held position of yours – that stupid people shouldn’t be allowed/encouraged to vote. The more you bring local elections into alignment with national elections, the more you will have uninformed/lazy voters just pulling a party lever depending on who’s at the top of the national race. I think we are better off (as bad as it is now) allowing the people who care enough to be informed about the date of local elections and the candidates in them, to be the ones making the decisions in the voting booth on local elections, and not the folks who merely show up every couple years for the national election who couldn’t tell you a thing about the local folks on the ballot. Your thoughts?

Too bad we can’t pass a “NO TV ADS” law! That would help the people get out because the don’t have to listen to all the negativity and then decide not to vote at all.
rely on old fashioned “door to door, meet the people yourself” tactics.
Oh, wait! Then the candidates would actually have to ANSWER questions. Especially the incumbents.

Just a breif comment. Doesn’t the Gov. Commission on reforming local government look familiar. Oh yes, Indy Works.