By Alyssa Scott

KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – Traditionally, voter turnout is substantially lower during off-cycle spring elections than regular fall elections. The result is fewer people vote on city and school board issues than during presidential or mid-term elections.

According to Secretary of State Kris Kobach, between 2008-2013, local spring election voter turnout ranged from a low of 6.2 percent in Sedgwick County to a high of 56 percent in Sherman County. In comparison, fall election turnout during that same time period ranged from 37.3 percent to 85.8 percent. According to the Sedgwick County Election Office, about 67 percent of registered voters participated in fall 2012 elections.

Supporters of Senate Bill 171 said moving municipal elections to the fall of even-numbered years and making them partisan would increase voter turnout and make it more convenient for voters. Under the bill, primary party elections would occur in August prior to a November general election.

During the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee hearing Wednesday, seven bill proponents testified for more than 50 minutes as two opponents were allowed to testify in the final 15 minutes of the meeting. Committee chair Sen. Mitch Holmes (R-St. John) said additional opponent testimony will be allowed Thursday.

Clay Barker, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, said he supports SB 171 because it is a way to encourage more people to vote in city and school board elections.

“There is a lack of citizen participation, and it’s an amazingly large amount of money to spend with very few voters’ input into it, whether it’s cities or school districts,” Barker said. “What we would like to see in this bill is aligning the spring and fall elections so all the voters turn out and they get to vote on all the positions.”

Joy Eakins, a Wichita Public Schools Board of Education member, testified on behalf of the bill, saying research shows that simply moving elections from April to November raises the participation rate by 8 to 9 percent. She said while it is important to increase voter turnout there are other parts of SB 171 she wants changed.

In addition to making municipal elections partisan and holding them in the fall, SB 171 would allow county election officers to require school districts to schedule an in-service day so that school buildings are available as polling locations during elections. Eakins said she did not support that part of the bill because taking time from schools is detrimental to students and teachers.

“You’re asking a person who has no accountability to the community (county election officer) for the education of their students or for what happens in a school day to be able to commandeer buildings that belong to students, buildings that were built by the taxpayers of our communities to educate their students,” Eakins said. “They do a great job, but they shouldn’t have a say over when school’s in session.”

Mark Tallman, associate executive director for advocacy at the Kansas Association of School Boards, opposes the bill and expressed concerns with adding partisanship into municipal elections.

“Our members have repeatedly voted that they do not favor a change in law for several reasons,” Tallman said. “We hear from local boards, and they believe we are better served by keeping education somewhat nonpartisan, even though in many cases people do know that parties can get involved.”

In a news release last week, committee chair Holmes said SB 171 would help reduce the influence teachers unions have in local elections. He said based on research, teachers unions have a majority in the current off-cycle elections because they’re able to organize while overall voter turnout is low.

“The information that we have showed that the timing of the election is the single biggest variable that affects voter turnout,” Holmes said. “There are other peripheral things that can be done, but that one by itself is the most effective.”

However, Eakins said it makes sense for teachers to be highly involved in the municipal elections.

“I can’t say to what extent they control the elections, but certainly teachers would be interested in voting because it’s something they’re passionate about, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Eakins said. “It’s just who they are.”

The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee will hear from opponents of the bill when it convenes at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Alyssa Scott is a University of Kansas junior from Wichita majoring in journalism and French.