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Election Changes for Low Voter Turnout?

Garden City, Idaho -- Low voter turnout is one of the reasons elections could change in the future. 

Some of the smaller cities and towns may welcome some kind of change, especially if it saves them money.

We will be seeing some changes coming in 2011 with the election consolidation laws that have been passed by the legislature.

Until then though, towns like Garden City don't have a lot of choice. Garden City has about 10,000 people,yet for Tuesday's election only about 200 people voted.

One of the reasons people didn't turn out is there weren't very many closely contested races with no federal or congressional races in Idaho.

And in Garden City the candidates didn't even have any challengers.

"It is a shame the election cost about $5,000," said Garden City Mayor John Evans.

But towns don't have any other choice.

"I don't have a mechanism to not have an election. So it is just the way it is," said Evans.

That could change in 2011, with the consolidation of some other elections. In other words, holding elections at the same time as other smaller ones. You know, the kind you barely hear about.  A bond for a mosquito district or a vote over a fire district.

Even though voter turnout was incredibly low, people we spoke with say you still have to hold the elections. It is of course our civic duty. It would be nice, though, if they could save a few thousand dollars.

"Well, I could use $5,000 to buy a lot of library books. But it's a democracy, we gotta do it," said Joanne McNeil, a Garden City resident and also a "Friends of the Library" supporter.

"That's what we do as a country, we have elections. Even if not many people vote, the ones that do, count," said Vera Robinson, a Boise resident.

Another resident suggested making it easier to vote.

"If they put it online, cause a lot of people use the Internet to research things and figure and quicker for voters to get results back," said Lisa Dillworth.

That new consolidation legislation will take effect in 2011. It will reduce election dates to March and November of each year.

Currently the way the system is set up, there could literally be hundreds of elections in Idaho each year.