Is the American democratic process dying in Elk Grove - Will unopposed candidates be emboldened?
This year, several local candidates are unopposed in Elk Grove.
Every Elk Grove voter should thank the two candidates challenging the incumbent mayor this year, whether you plan to support them or not. An extra thank you should be extended to one of those challengers, Ms. Lynn Wheat, who has a long-term record of civic engagement and participation in our democratic process.
As for the other two city council positions, Elk Grove voters will have no selection as the District 1 and 3 incumbents are unchallenged. With no challengers, they will automatically have another four-year term.
The current edition of KQED's Political Breakdown addresses the increasingly common phenomenon of incumbents running unopposed. This year, several candidates for local officers in Elk Grove are unopposed.
Aside from the city council, where two out of three positions are uncontested, there are other local agencies with uncontested races: the Florin Resources Conservation District, Elk Grove Water District operator, and Cosumnes Community Services District.
The water district has two candidates - one incumbent and one new candidate - for two open positions. The incumbent and new candidate will be unopposed and appointed with no third candidate.
For the CCSD, there are three seats open this election cycle. All three will be uncontested.In two positions, incumbents did not run, and only one candidate in each race is on the ballot. In the third director position, the incumbent did not draw a challenger.
Of the three local agencies over which Elk Grove voters have jurisdiction, the Elk Grove Unified School District has the healthiest conditions in terms of candidate participation. Only one of the four school district seats is uncontested.
In yesterday's Political Breakdown podcast, Contest Every Race's executive director, Lauren Gepford, cited several statistics showing thousands of uncontested races nationwide, primarily for local offices. Gedford said that according to the races tracked by Ballotpedia, in 2022, 58 percent of those races were uncontested.
Based on the Ballotpedia statistics, Elk Grove voters exceeded the national statistics this year. Using 2022's figures of 58 percent uncontested races, this year, there are 12 open local positions and four candidates for a participation rate of 33 percent, and conversely, 66 percent of the open seats are uncontested.
According to Gepford, one danger of uncontested races is the mentality of unchallenged candidates and incumbents.
"We see that when candidates run, and they don't have any opposition, and they are not facing any challengers, the person who wins end up feeling pretty immune from accountability and really emboldened to push extreme stances like subverting free and fair elections," she said.
So, as Elk Grove voters will elect only 33 percent of its local representatives this year, will these individuals behave responsibly or feel emboldened to make reckless decisions?
Democracy isn't dead in Elk Grove, but this year it is on life support.
Listen to the Political Breakdown podcast here.
