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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Knoxville residents will have the opportunity to decide how city elections are handled now that new state law has been passed that requires a change in the city’s current election process.
In the past, Knoxville voters could only vote for candidates in their district during primary elections. When it came time for the general election, however, they could vote in every city council election, even if it was outside of their district.
A new state law that went into effect on January 1 seeks to put an end to this type of voting, pushing local governments to run elections similarly to state elections.
On the November 5 ballot, voters will choose between two options:
1. District-Only Elections – City council members would be elected solely by residents of their district, except for three at-large positions.
2. City-Wide Elections – City council members would be elected by votes from the entire city, but they would be required to live in the district they are elected to represent. The three at-large seats can be filled by residents from any part of the city.
While some argue that city-wide voting pushes candidates to approach city issues from a perspective that reaches beyond their individual districts, others argue that diminish the opportunities for minority voices on the council.
Others fear that the cost of a city-wide campaign makes running for office less feasible for some potential candidates.
2 Responses
I could not care less how it affects ” the opportunities for minority voices on the council”.
Is this a democracy as some claim or not?
IMHO if outside money can be brought into the state to influence elections, we should be able to vote in other statewide elections. After the first go round of voting, you would see a lot less pork barrel projects and just maybe politicians would learn their actual function is to represent the entire country.