Dear Editor,
The League of Women Voters of Great Bend opposes the legislative bills to move local elections for Great Bend City Council, USD 428 School Board, and the Barton College Board of Trustees to the fall when they will be held in conjunction with state and national elections. We urge Senator Holmes and Representative Edmonds to vote against these bills.
The League has always encouraged voting, especially informed voting. If local elections are held at the same time as state and national elections, voters will be inundated with information about state and national elections, and the local candidates will not receive the attention they deserve.
The League has also always believed that legislators should listen to their constituents. At both the Candidates’ Coffee held by the Chamber of Commerce in Great Bend and at the Candidates’ Forum held by the LWV of Great Bend, the consensus was that local elections should continue to be held in the spring and that they should remain bi-partisan.
If local elections are held in the fall, newly elected candidates will take office in the middle of the budget year and will be bound by policy set by the previous elected officials. This will put them at a disadvantage.
Therefore, we urge Senator Holmes and Representative Edmonds to vote against all bills to move local elections to the fall and to keep these elections bi-partisan.
Jari Marietta
President LWV of Great Bend