ASU Professor Henry Thomson: ‘About 4 in 10 Registered Voters’ Don’t Vote in Arizona Off-Cycle Elections

Arizona State University political economist and associate professor Henry Thomson joined the Phoenix Business Brief Podcast to discuss voter participation, local government spending, and the impact of Arizona off-cycle elections.

Thomson discussed findings from his recent report published through the Goldwater Institute examining turnout patterns in off-cycle elections and how those elections can influence city budgets, school district spending, taxes, and local policy decisions.

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“You have about four in 10 registered voters that just don’t show up at these off-cycle elections, even though they do show up for the on-cycle elections,” Thomson said during the interview.

According to Thomson, his research found turnout in Arizona off-cycle elections averaged roughly 27%, compared to more than 70% during regular November elections held in even-numbered years.

The interview explored how cities, school districts, and local governments make decisions involving bond measures, tax overrides, zoning issues, and other spending proposals during elections that often attract relatively low turnout. Thomson cited examples involving hundreds of millions of dollars in local spending measures approved during off-cycle elections.

“During those election cycles, turnout is just much, much lower,” Thomson said. “It’s been seen by political scientists as a pretty major problem nationwide.”

Thomson also discussed previous efforts by the Arizona Legislature to move more local elections onto the regular November election calendar, as well as legal disputes involving Arizona cities seeking to maintain off-cycle election schedules.

The conversation additionally examined how business owners and taxpayers may be affected by local taxes, permitting decisions, municipal policies, and other issues decided during low-turnout elections.

About this Guest: Henry Thomson is a political economist and associate professor at Arizona State University whose work focuses on political economy, democracy, elections, and economic development.