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Vote now! How best to boost voter turnout on Capitol Hill?

Screen Shot 2015-11-19 at 10.31.40 AMCapitol Hill’s state leaders in Olympia say a better turnout by Seattle voters might have helped save Washington from yet another budget battle. Powered by the most expensive City Council campaigns in Seattle history, Capitol Hill, the Central District, and the neighborhoods of District 3 led the way in the city — but even the D3 return barely cracked 50%. Across the state, turnout in Washington’s by-mail ballot system is on track for a record low performance.

What can we do? Below is a CHS survey of possible solutions to bump up voter turnout. They range from small change to big bucks. Let us know which ones you think would work best. You can also add suggestions in comments for us to add to the poll.

Create your own user feedback survey

You can view the latest results here.

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Timmy73
Timmy73
8 years ago

We don’t just need voters, we need informed voters. Voters who actually know what they are voting for and the repercussions of each box they check.

JayH
JayH
8 years ago

When we went to a vote by mail system I really thought participation rates would skyrocket. Boy was I wrong! Turns out that most people just don’t care. I’ll admit that I get a rush from dictating my wishes to the majority.

There are a lot of suggestions to increase turnout not in the survey. Here is just one. If you are a registered voter and you have voted at least once in the previous two years you can get a five year drivers license renewal. Otherwise you must renew every two years. A little incentive may go a long way.

Robert
Robert
8 years ago

Me again, for the hundredth time. Some good ideas require dragging people kicking and screaming until it’s accepted as common sense. The abolition of slavery. Women’s suffrage. The Clean Air Act. The national parks. Civil rights for all races. Marriage equality.

Mandatory voting belongs in this category. End of story. You can submit a blank ballot, or write in whatever you like. But you have to vote. Period.

Then we’ll finally see some flippin’ participation in our democratic process. All the other ways to motivate people will not work, or only boost voting by minimal amounts.

RWK
RWK
8 years ago
Reply to  Robert

Whereas mandatory voting would certainly boost turnout, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Forcing people to vote in this way would only mean that we we would have more uninformed voters, because they still would not give a damn, even if they voted.

Come on right now
Come on right now
8 years ago

Best thing we can do? Have some candidates that aren’t total clowns.

People don’t vote because it doesn’t really matter who wins when the candidates suck as bad as the 2 we had in 2015.

glenn
glenn
8 years ago

These two had some very different approaches to identifying and solving the city’s problems. They presented a fairly stark choice in a city so thoroughly dominated by liberal politics. If you didn’t see a reason to vote in this election you are missing the whole point.

oy with the voting already
oy with the voting already
8 years ago

I used to love voting, but I think voting in this state is way too frequent and complicated. On the ballot this year, there were so many complicated and unpleasant measures to vote on (those dumb tax advisory votes, for example). It took me over an hour to read through the ballot and parts of the voters guide I wasn’t familiar with. And I was an informed voter who had paid attention to the campaigns! I can totally imagine being discouraged by the length and complexity of the ballot and either not start or not finish voting. How do we at least get those tax advisory votes off the ballot?

I also think we vote way too much. Everyone registered is sent ballots in the primary and the general, and there seem to be all sorts of unnecessary special elections. Remember that one-off King County emergency radio one? If we must continue with this tax system with endless levies and advisory votes, as well as the endless direct democracy initiatives, let’s at least cut down on one-off special elections.

RWK
RWK
8 years ago

Well, you’d better get ready for the next special election next February……two school levies, totalling $1.23 BILLION dollars! And then there is another Sound Transit levy sometime next year. It never ends.

glenn
glenn
8 years ago

Special levies such as the school funding levy this February should be included in the general election. Each election costs a lot of money (over a million bucks) and there is no reason to hold it two and one half months after the general election. I think they do it that way to depress voter turnout and increase the chance of passage (those motivated to vote for it will turn out whenever it is held.
As for the survey, of course ballots should be postage paid. What kind of a democracy charges it citizens to cast a ballot? Drop boxes are fine, but why create this obstacle when general taxation should cover the cost? Making it a holiday would result in some great mid-week parties but little increase in participation, I would guess. Automatic voter registration in some form seems like a potential solution to increase eligibility, but at some point people just have to stop making excuses (oh, the candidates all suck) and get off their asses and vote.