Charter committee drops idea of changing Oklahoma City municipal elections schedule

The mayor's Charter Review Committee on Tuesday dismissed the idea of aligning the municipal election schedule with statewide balloting.

Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper said he was "adamantly against this change," calling the prospect of injecting partisanship into city politics "poisonous."

The mayor and eight city council members in Oklahoma City run and are elected on a nonpartisan basis. Presented as a discussion item, the idea was dropped without a vote.

A memo to the committee outlined some pros and cons:

• Voter turnout likely would increase significantly.

• More money likely would be needed to run for office.

• Races with national or statewide profiles would overshadow city races.

•Voters who have shown no interest in local government would be casting ballots on candidates they know little or nothing about.

The idea primarily was based on the election schedule Tulsa follows.