US local governments have a multitude of elections but remarkably few voters. Typical turnout in mayoral elections is 20%. While federal and state races garner the most media attention, the vast majority of elections in the United States are for offices in local government. The nation’s roughly 90,000 local governments include cities, counties, townships, school districts, and a plethora of special purpose districts, such as park districts and library districts. Most of these jurisdictions are run by an elected board and many also elect executives and other officers. Collectively, they are governed by nearly half-a-million elected officials. Most local elections are held off-cycle. Changing local election times to coincide with higher-profile federal and state elections could generate dramatic increases in turnout and a more representative set of voters. But what does the research say about the potential impact of this reform?? As part of the Democracy Reform Primer Series, Professor Christopher Berry?from the University of Chicago?discusses what scholarship tells us about the likely effects of the Timing of Local Elections. View more of the Democracy Reform Primer Videos ???? https://bit.ly/4eWYto1
