I've been sitting on this for a six years, but I had lost it and had to deal with other issues. Removing party labels in city elections was a movement that occurred in the 1970s. However, some cities like Raleigh have had their cake eaten it too ever the last two decades.

Reasons for nonpartisan elections:
1. Partisan hacks are supposed to be kept out. Pretty self-explanatory.

2. Elections lacking party labels get more independents involved. Different ideas could actually emerge rather than people who are beholden to state or national political parties--or only interested in getting a higher political office.

3. The lack of party labels should propel politicians to get more things done. NP governments still have factions.

4. Low voter turnout could be cyclical and due to an overall lack of trust in government. Of course, low could be in the eye of the beholder given stories I read about turnout ranging between 20 and 35 percent for Raleigh elections during the '80s.

5. Independent candidates could easily go from penthouse to outhouse without ever losing an actual election. Given NC's ultra-restrictive ballot access laws, an unaffiliated councilperson or mayor could mysteriously find out that he or she has failed to garner enough signatures to even run for reelection if the wrong people are ticked off.

Reasons against nonpartisan elections:
1. Ever since the 1993 mayoral runoff when ex-Governors Hunt and Martin got involved, local Triangle media and both major parties have become heavily involved. It's the last vestige for the parties, after all.

2. Some people have decried nonpartisan elections as "fraud." This is largely due to the previous reason.

3. Fringe candidates are more likely to be kept off the ballot. Perhaps due to his campaign ten years ago, it is highly unlikely that zacktm would have garnered enough signatures to even make it onto the District D ballot.

4. Party labels may boost turnout. Let's face it, elections with 8-20 percent turnout are an absolute disgrace!

[Edited on September 17, 2013 at 8:48 PM. Reason : add]

9/17/2013 8:47:30 PM

Ntlb!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm generally interested in non-partisan races, especially at the local level as you mentioned.

9/18/2013 5:51:42 PM

9/18/2013 6:03:46 PM

The off-year elections in my area are non-partisan in name only, with only maybe one candidate on each side not endorsed by or somehow affiliated with one of the major parties.

Then again the only ones this year are for township trustee and school board.

10/20/2013 6:17:30 PM

Not listing the party label actually means that voters might need to know something about the people they're voting for as opposed to just ticking the box because somebody has a D or an R next to their name.

I love it when there's virtually no turn out for elections.

10/20/2013 6:36:41 PM

The problem of course is that there's very little information on the Internet about the candidates, like maybe you'd see which candidates the parties or special-interest groups have endorsed (and not all parties do this in all areas, like the Democrats didn't endorse anyone this time around); it's like you have to get out there and actually get to know the candidates personally.

10/20/2013 8:43:07 PM

You make it sound like that's a bad thing.

10/20/2013 9:24:59 PM

rofl

10/20/2013 10:01:13 PM

Quote :

"Not listing the party label actually means that voters might need to know something about the people they're voting for as opposed to just ticking the box because somebody has a D or an R next to their name."

Pulling the "D" or "R" lever for the WINZ [/dumbass ignorant voters]

10/23/2013 8:51:57 AM