Community Corner

Election 2012: Vote Yes on Measure O

Four Long Beach City Council members urge voters to approve the consolidation of municipal elections, arguing that it will save taxpayers money.

We are proud to express our support for Long Beach Measure O, and we want to ask all your readers to vote YES on Measure O this election day, November 6.

Our city has the opportunity to save a significant amount of money and at the same time to expand democracy by voting for Measure O.

Measure O will consolidate our local city elections, so that instead of voting three times in an election year as we do now, we will only have to vote twice with Measure O. This will save us money in the long term, as it has for hundreds of cities up and down the state. More than 350 California cities have consolidated their elections this way, leaving Long Beach and only one of a handful of other cities with this outdated voting system.

Find out what's happening in Belmont Shore-Napleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Measure O also will not go into effect until 2014, which gives our school district and community college district plenty of time to move their elections to the new June and November schedule as well. 

Our voting system is broken in Long Beach. Turnout is so low that some Councilmembers are elected with as few 1,000 votes. That's because unlike almost everywhere else in California, Long Beach holds separate elections in April and June, instead of June and November. Voting three times in an election year is expensive, time-consuming, and can lead to election fatigue. A YES vote on measure O will increase voter turnout, reduce voter fatigue, and save money.

Find out what's happening in Belmont Shore-Napleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Measure O is simple good government, and that’s why it has been endorsed by California Common Cause, one of the state’s most prestigious non-partisan clean election organizations.

Please join the 30,000 Long Beach residents that have already pledged support for the common sense and economic savings of Measure O.

Signed, 

Vice Mayor Robert Garcia

Councilmember Gerrie Schipske

Councilmember Al Austin

Councilmember Steve Neal


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