Election Timing and Local Political Polarization

Many cities across the country have moved their local elections to the same day as federal elections, improving voter turnout, particularly among marginalized groups. Skeptics, however, worry that election consolidation imports national polarization into local contests. We assess this critique using a variety of tools, finding no support for the claim and even suggestive evidence of depolarization following consolidation. Drawing on model-enhanced voter files, we find that election consolidation primarily boosts turnout among nonpartisan and moderate voters. Additionally, analysis of local candidates and surveys of municipal officials suggests that on-cycle local elections may be associated with less ideologically extreme mayoral candidates and officeholders, but not city council candidates. By reducing the cost of voting, election consolidation likely increases turnout among less engaged voters, who are generally less partisan and more moderate. In turn, more moderate mayors may run and win, suggesting election consolidation may reduce, not increase, polarization in local politics.