Jim Pomeranz: Those few voters

Your Oct. 8 editorial “Staying Raleigh’s course” blamed GOP lawmakers for the 11 percent turnout in Raleigh elections: “Of course, had the Republican-run General Assembly not switched the Wake County school board election to even-numbered years, the turnout might have been twice what it was.”

“Might?” Your premise is doubtful.

In 2013 the Wake school board and Raleigh elections generated 15 percent of Raleigh voters who might be interested in school board races more than the City Council, but an increase in Raleigh voters is directly related to school board races contested within Raleigh voting districts. Your reasoning reminded us of, “When confused between the difference in causation and correlation, remember beating a tom-tom during a solar eclipse will always bring back the sun.”

Fewer voters typically participate in city elections. If city elections were held in even-number years with president, governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, General Assembly and N.C. Council of State races, turnout easily would exceed your goal of 22 percent.

The Republican-run General Assembly should move municipal and county elections to even-number years to maximize voter participation instead of leaving local elections to the few who participate, which is probably how city officials want it.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Jim Pomeranz: Those few voters."