Republicans pledge to oppose I.F. Council members who support eliminating runoff elections - East Idaho News
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Republicans pledge to oppose I.F. Council members who support eliminating runoff elections

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IDAHO FALLS — Local Republicans have vowed to oppose any Idaho Falls City Council member who votes to repeal the runoff election process.

At the Jan. 10 City Council meeting, the Bonneville County Republican Central Committee read into the record a resolution supporting City Council runoff elections. The resolution condemned any proposal to eliminate the process and pledged to remove support from and oppose any councilmember who supports eliminating the process.

“We’re just really concerned that without the runoff election, it will be very probable that City Council members who receive less than 50 percent of the vote will be serving,” Bonneville County Republican Central Committee Chairman Mark Fuller told EastIdahoNews.com.

Idaho Falls voters passed a referendum in 2005 to implement runoff elections for the City Council with 68 percent of the vote.

“We think it’s wrong the for the City Council to overturn that referendum,” Fuller said.

In an email exchange obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Councilman Jim Freeman expressed displeasure with the Committee’s resolution.

“I do appreciate the Central Committee position, but find the threatening tone of the resolution may be counterproductive to the process,” Freeman said in an email to Fuller.

Fuller responded by saying the Committee did not mean the resolution to be threatening but to be “a clear expression of the will of the Central Committee.”

“Our Committee Bylaws expressly allow funds to be used in non-partisan elections (with certain limitations) and the Committee felt it was important that the public understood we would support like-minded candidates,” Fuller wrote.

A key point the City Council is considering in deciding whether or not do away with runoff elections is the cost.

The two City Council runoff elections since 2005 cost the city over $72,354.

The Committee’s resolution says the cost is “fully justified in order to assure that all persons elected to the City Council have majority support of those choosing to cast votes.”

Another critical issue is the effectiveness of runoff elections.

“Right now runoff City Council elections do not change the outcome. The data is clear. It has never changed an outcome since we elected this law,” Ziel-Dingman said in a previous work session.

According to a letter sent to Mayor Rebecca Casper from Association of Idaho Cities Policy Analyst Justin Ruen the only runoff that changed the outcome of an election in Idaho over the past 17 years was the 2007 mayoral race in Eagle.

Idaho Falls is the only city in Idaho to have runoff elections for City Council and one of eight to have mayoral runoff elections.

“The fact that only a few people do it doesn’t make it wrong. It’s still right for Idaho Falls,” Fuller told EastIdahoNews.com.

During Monday’s City Council work session, Casper explained the council can leave the runoff election ordinance as is, repeal the runoff election ordinance or change the electoral system completely.

Casper explained state law does not permit the city to amend runoff election requirements. The city can either have runoff elections as outlined by state law or get rid of runoff elections.

Councilwoman Shelly Smede said Monday she spoke with community members to learn their thoughts on the issue.

“Probably about 80 percent said the fact that it was voted on — it looks really not appropriate for (the City Council) to say, ‘We don’t want that anymore.’ That’s the part that makes me feel most uncomfortable,” Smede said.

After a lengthy discussion, the Council decided they needed more information and will take at least one more work session to discuss the matter.

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this story said the two runoff elections since 2005 cost the city a minimum of $11,000. The city had not yet verified the actual cost of those elections. The actual cost was over $72,354. The story has been updated.

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