KEY TO INCREASING VOTER ENGAGEMENT IS ENDING DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ELECTIONS

“If you want higher midterm election turnout end summer election distractions” Austin – The Senate Select
Committee on Property Tax Reform has been charged by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to recommend ways to
enhance voter engagement in local government decisions around budget and property tax rates. A recent
study discussed in the Houston Chronicle (https://bit.ly/2PQxQFX) argued that Texas ranked last in the nation
in voter turnout. Attached data that the committee analyzed highlighted that in Texas urban counties (Travis,
Bexar, Dallas, Tarrant) the Democratic Primary is the high water mark for voter turnout. Multiple different things
were discussed, including adding simplicity to the process, the role of personal responsibility, and ending dog
days of summer special elections. In one case an election had only 1% turnout. Chairman Bettencourt noted,
“The only thing less than 1 is 0.” “If you want to increase election turnout then end the distraction of elections
in the dog days of the summer,” said Chairman Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston). “The committee heard person
after person testify that the answer is holding one election in November.”
After an excellent presentation by Sam Taylor, the Communications Director for the Texas Secretary of
State, of everything that they are doing to increase voter participation, Chairman Bettencourt asked a simple
question: “Are summer elections low turnout elections…yes or no?” Mr. Taylor responded, “Absolutely (yes).”
Senator Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) told a poignant story during the hearing about the importance that his father
placed on voting and how that impacted his own life. In one particular story he told of missing voting in an
election due to a bus being late as part of a school event, and that he was so embarrassed by the fact that he
did not vote it was several days before he could face his father.
“One of the greatest rights and responsibilities is voting,” added
Senator Lucio. Another witness recalled a story of working
in the garden with his grandfather and being told, “you always
vote.” When he asked why it was so important to cast your vote
he was told, “Because men died so that you would have the right
to do so.” Well-spoken from someone who lived in the “American
century”. “Rather than fatigue voters with multiple special
elections, we should encourage voter participation in our traditional
November elections, where voters are used to voting, to
ensure the public has an opportunity to evaluate and decide on
these questions,” concluded Chairman Bettencourt. “A study of
4 years by the committee showed the average November election
from 2012-2016 had a 34.31% turnout and the primaries
discussed only a 9.61% turnout, roughly 3.5 times higher.”