At the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 27th, Councilors will discuss and most likely vote on which two options for the city’s next electoral system to place on November’s ballot for voters to weigh in on. For more information on the background for this change and the options that the Council will consider, please visit: https://yourlowellyourvote.org/
In advance of the meeting I want to let Lowell residents know where I stand, and also urge the City Council to include Option 2-2 on the ballot (Hybrid system of 8 District seats and 3 At-Large seats for the City Council / 4 District seats and 2 At-Large for School Committee). Not only do I feel that this is the best option among those available to the Council, I believe it is a necessary change and positive improvement over our current system.
Why Change is Needed
How we got to this truly ground-shifting moment in Lowell is through a group of voters who challenged the city’s current electoral system under the Voting Rights Act, and both the plaintiffs and the city have agreed to a Judicial Consent Decree that will change Lowell’s electoral system by the 2021 election. While the courts may be an imperfect vehicle for change, that vehicle was needed to break the status quo, and I applaud the plaintiffs for organizing together in this effort to address the historic lack of racial and ethnic diversity on the City Council and School Committee. I believe all of the options included in the judicial consent decree will lead to a more diverse city government, with more Lowell residents seeing themselves represented, and that is a really good thing.
Why 8-3?
The reason that I support the 8-3 system over other options is that in addition to virtually ensuring more diversity through the creation of two majority-minority districts for the City Council (and one for the School Committee), it will have the added benefits of creating more geographic equity through neighborhood representation, lowering the financial barrier of entry to run for office, and allowing residents to get to know their Councilors better by enabling more door-to-door campaigning. The 8-3 system is also the only option that expands the City Council from 9 members to 11. In a city the size of Lowell with a fast-growing population, I believe that a larger Council is not only reasonable but will lead to more and better representation for residents.
I have also listened to residents over the past year at public meetings on this topic and through one-on-one conversations, and it’s clear to me that there are very many people who wish to see a system of neighborhood representation – particularly in the neighborhoods that have rarely had a resident on the City Council.
To be fair, I have also spoken to a number of people who see no reason to change the current system. While I believe their arguments are made in good faith, I disagree with their usual premise. For example I’ll often hear, “If other neighborhoods want representation they should get out and vote.” Or, “Why is my neighborhood being punished for voting?” While I believe civic engagement and voting is incredibly important and everyone should exercise that right, these arguments over-simplify the problem and solution.
It’s important to keep in mind that while some neighborhoods have higher voter turnouts than others, every neighborhood has these things in common:
1) There are plenty of people who vote in every single election.
2) In an average city election, less than half of registered voters will actually vote.
Again, this is true for every single neighborhood, right down to the precinct level. So the notion that the average resident of, say, Belvidere (disclosure – I live there), has somehow earned more representation than the average resident of, say, South Lowell, simply doesn’t hold up. Not only is it inequitable, but there’s also the fact that the average resident didn’t actually vote at all. Depending on where they live though, some of those non-voters will have access to multiple City Councilors while they rake leaves or walk their dog, while other residents lack that kind of access. If anyone could make the case for being “punished” under a voting system, it would be the consistent voter who has never had a Councilor from their neighborhood because they happen to live in an area of low turnout.
I raise these examples not to criticize those who have made those arguments, but to highlight that neighborhood representation simply promotes equity (everyone votes for one District Councilor), rather than taking anything away. I also want to acknowledge that past and current Councilors have taken their role of representing the entire city very seriously, and work hard to respond to constituent needs from every neighborhood. However, residents are more likely to reach out in the first place with issues or ideas if they know a Councilor personally, or are connected by a neighborhood.
While it’s hard to overstate what a significant and impactful change this would be for Lowell, it’s also important to note that it will not be a brand new experiment in municipal government. A hybrid model will bring us closer in-line with other Massachusetts cities like Boston, Springfield, Worcester, Lynn, Quincy, and New Bedford, among others. It’s been done in many other places and it works well.
Why a Hybrid Model, Not a District-only Model?
While I do not think that the current all At-Large, winner-take-all system is the right model for Lowell, I do believe that At-Large representation provides significant value. It’s an understandable tendency of district city councilors to focus mainly on the interests of their respective district, and as a result less on the city as a whole. I believe it’s important to have a balance between strictly neighborhood interests and city-wide interests, and of the options on the table, the 8-3 model provides the best balance.
Other Options – Ranked Choice Voting
The City Council also has the option to consider two options that would implement ranked choice voting. I think that the ranked choice options would most likely produce the stated goals of more diversity on the City Council and School Committee; however they would do so without the above-stated benefits of neighborhood representation (one RCV option provides for three districts, which would be larger than traditional neighborhoods). Additionally, I have reservations regarding certain drawbacks of the RCV options.
1. An all At-Large ranked choice system would do little to lower the financial barrier to running and the time commitment needed to campaign city-wide, which is prohibitive for many working people.
2. It’s confusing, especially with a large number of candidates on the ballot. While there are great ways to educate voters on the system, the reality is that many voters will not fully understand the formula by which their votes are allocated, and that may discourage some from turning out. Conversely, I believe district-based elections will allow for more engagement between candidates and voters, which will hopefully lead to increased voter turnout.
In the coming months I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this issue that will have huge ramifications on future elections in Lowell and who will represent you! Most importantly, I hope you’ll take the time to learn about your options as a voter and show up in November to make your voice heard. You can make a huge impact on the future of our city!