In Cincinnati there were 2 elections that made major changes to how the government works. In 2001 we changed the way we elect the mayor & changed the mayor's duties. In 2013 we changed the council members to 4 year terms.
Both elections had big consequences and tiny voter turnouts. And, as usual, the politicians who get the majority vote always claim to have been given mandates.
So, here's my great idea.
Establish minimum voter turnout to make an election official. Maybe 30-40% turnout of registered voters should be required. If that isn't achieved, have another election or wait a year & try again.
It would screw with term limits but I don't care, I hate term limits
A toe head at UrbanCincy pointed out it would make ballot initiatives harder as more signatures would be required, but with some of the hare-brained ballot issues we've seen lately that might be a good idea. A city run by referendum is not a very attractive city to investors & business.
The big issue is - is this legal? It wouldn't require that people participate but if they didn't, they'd just wind up with councilmembers who serve for life & then appoint their replacements. Presumably people wouldn't want that so the rule wouldn't force people to vote, it would just really incentivize them.
Ideally it should be a minimum of 50% or more of registered voters, but that ain't gonna happen in Cincinnati any time soon.
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