Rumors out of Boise suggest that a priority on the Idaho Legislature’s 2021 agenda will be to disallow nonpartisan municipal elections. If true, candidates for city council and mayor in Idaho Falls would have to declare a party affiliation — Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian and so forth. This would be damaging for our city because partisan elections emphasize the extremes, giving power to fringe elements while ignoring majorities in the middle.
Conventional wisdom holds that America splits down the middle between conservatives (Republicans) and liberals (Democrats). But on the extremes, where partisan elections too often take us, some Republicans portray all Democrats as socialist provocateurs who will destroy America as we know it, while some Democrats promote the idea that all Republicans are xenophobic and racist louts. This false dichotomy serves no one’s best interests.
Research by the More in Common project indicates that approximately 75% of Americans fall into what the project describes as the exhausted majority. This majority is characterized as having a clear understanding that we have more in common than that which divides us: our belief in freedom, equality and the pursuit of the American dream. This majority also shares a deep sense of gratitude for being citizens of the United States and wants us to move past our differences. The project identifies seven distinct voting blocs ranging from progressive activists on the left to committed conservatives on the right. This diversity of perspective disappears when collapsed into a two-party, us versus them mindset.
Nonpartisan elections are one way to counteract the tendency for those on the fringes to set the debate. Running an issue-based rather than a party-based election forces candidates to directly address the concerns of constituents. Voters, too, must work harder to learn what candidates have to say. One cannot simply grab the party label as the basis for deciding. Removing party designations defuses us versus them thinking and associated stereotypes.
Our current system in Idaho Falls demonstrates the benefits of nonpartisan elections. Our mayor and council tend to be moderate in outlook. Debates within our government are civil and productive. Our system works.
What may happen if the process for choosing our representatives became party based? Increased polarization would creep into city government. Those with the loudest voices at the fringes would gain power. Elections would become increasingly rancorous, with candidates moving away from the center to appease their bases, much as what happens within our state and national governments.
It seems that this is what some lawmakers in Boise want. By forcing the wide range of Idaho voters into a false choice based on party affiliation, they would stifle debate, resulting in even less attention paid to the needs of the exhausted majority.
All of us who are grateful for the wise decisions of the mayor and the Idaho Falls City Council must monitor closely what happens in the coming months and let our representatives know of our support for keeping municipal elections nonpartisan and issue-based. What we do in Idaho Falls works. Let’s not mess it up.
Todd DeVries is the Bonneville County Democratic Party state committeeman.