Analysis and Reports
For Summaries of the Topic
Sightline Institute
On Even-Year Elections, Trust Voters—and Evidence Shannon Grimes (2024)
Voters Want Fewer Elections: Here’s How to Do That Alan Durning (2023)
When Do Cities Hold Elections? A US Dataset on Election Consolidation Durning and Newman (2024)
Manhattan Institute
Local Elections Consolidation: A Primer and Model Policy Ketcham and Severns (2024)
Revitalizing Local Democracy: The Case for On-Cycle Local Elections Michael Hartney (2021)
The Foundation for Government Accountability
Off Cycle, Out of Mind: Why School Board Elections Should Be Held With Statewide Elections Bain and Ingram (2022)
For National Analysis
The Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research: Big Cities – Tiny Votes? America’s Urban Voter Turnout Hajnal and Green (2024)
Sightline Institute: The Bizarre Red-Blue Politics of Election Consolidation (Durning 2024)
The Brookings Institute: It’s time to eliminate ‘off-cycle’ school board elections
Hartney (2016)
The Brookings Institute: Test scores and school boards: Why election timing matters Payson (2017)
New America: What’s the Point of Off-year Elections? (Cain 2021)
American Enterprise Institute: Move School Board Elections On-Cycle to Restore Local Control (Eden 2021)
The Foundation for Government Accountability: Off Cycle, Out of Mind: Why School Board Elections Should Be Held With Statewide Elections Bain and Ingram (2022)
Manhattan Institute: Declining Turnout in Big-City Elections: A Growing Problem for Democratic Accountability (Hopkins 2021)
America First Policy Institute: On-Cycle School Board Elections Make It Easier to Vote (Blackwell 2021)
National Civic League: Increasing Voter Turnout in Loca Elections (Brennan 2020)
US Vote Foundation: Fixing the Problem of Low Turnout Elections (2017)
For Local and Statewide Elections
California
Common Cause: Consolidation of Elections in California Creates Massive Gains in Local Voter Turnout (Valverde and Spencer 2021)
The Greenlining Institute: Odd Year vs Even Year Consolidated Elections in California (Hernandez 2013)
Common Cause: Getting to 100: How Moving Elections to Even Years Increased Voter Participation in Local Elections ( McMorris and Feng 2020)
New York
Citizens Union: Moving Municipal Elections to Even Numbered Years (2022)
Manhattan Institute: NYC Electoral Reform: How to Increase Political Competition and Revitalize Local Democracy (Ketcham 2021)
Washington
Sightline Institute: The History of Washington’s Wandering Election Day (Durning 2024)
Sightline Institute: A Magic Boost for Low-Turnout City Elections (Grimes 2024)
Sightline Institute: Washingtonians May Get a Democracy Upgrade in 2024 (Grimes 2024)
Sightline Institute: In Every Washington City, Odd-Year Elections Crush Voter Turnout
(Durning 2023)
Sightline Institute: Idaho, Montana, and Washington Could Save $30 Million by Moving Local Elections to National Election Day (Durning 2023)
Idaho and Montana
Sightline Institute: The Election Calendar Is Cheating Idaho and Montana Voters (Durning 2024)
Sightline Institute: Idaho, Montana, and Washington Could Save $30 Million by Moving Local Elections to National Election Day (Durning 2023)
Massachusetts
Policy for Progress: Our Democracy is Having an Off Day: Why Massachusetts politicians
never truly face the voters (2021)
Florida
Miami Herald: Miami Dysfunction: That landslide win Mayor Suarez brags about? That’s not the whole story (Editorial Board 2018)
Catalyst: Should St. Pete subsidize local election campaigns? (Parker 2025)
Catalyst: City Council mulls big changes to municipal voting (Parker 2022)
Texas
Yankelovich: Assessing Prop D and the Move to November Elections in Dallas
[In Progress]
Illinois
Illinois Policy Institute: How Chicago’s election timing suppresses voting (Alexander, Berg, and Josko 2024)
Arizona
Other Cities and States
Americans for Prosperity: Why Alaskans have Lower Turnout (2023)
Report of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on intergovernmental relations: Timing of Municipal Elections in Tennessee: Continue to Authorize, Not Require, Election Consolidation (2019)