BALLOT QUESTION #4: If you're a resident of Johnson City, TN, your August ballot will ask “Shall the Charter of the City of Johnson City be amended to: (1) move the election of the Board of Commissioners and Board of Education to first Thursday in August, beginning August 2028, to be sworn into office on the first Monday of September; (2) extend the November 2026 term expiration for Board of Commissioners and Board of Education members elected in November 2022 to the first Monday in September 2028; and (3) extend the November 2028 term expiration for Board of Commissioners and Board of Education members elected in November 2024 to the first Monday in September 2030?”

Vote NO to Protect Democracy

This proposal moves city general elections from November, a month known for high voter turnout, to August, a month with historically low participation. While the City Commissioners claim they want to streamline the electoral process, this move could severely weaken the democratic process and accountability within our city governance.

If this referendum passes:

Vote NO on Ballot Question #4 if You Believe:

  • Making the decision in 2014 to move city elections from low-turnout April to high–turnout November was the right move for the city & we should stick with that decision.
  • Working people and busy families shouldn’t be faced with having to choose which elections they can afford to take time off—and potentially lose wages—for.
  • Repeatedly extending the terms of city leadership by moving election dates undermines democracy, reduces accountability, and prevents new voices and fresh perspectives from being elected to serve on the Commission.
Your ballot will have 4 questions. Learn About the Others

Here Is a Breakdown of the Concerns About Ballot Question 4:

  1. May Create Barriers to Voting
    Moving city general elections to August will make it harder for working people and busy families to participate in electing city and school board leaders. Turnout for August elections is, and will always be, much lower than November turnout. If this measure passes, city representation will become skewed toward those who are able to take off to participate. This will diminish the democratic legitimacy of our city government. November elections ensure that a more representative cross-section of our community has a say in choosing our city leaders.
  2. Democratic Accountability Can Be Undermined
    Extending terms undermines the accountability mechanisms essential for a healthy democracy. It’s not lost on us that the Commission is proposing a term extension at the same time the city is party to two serious lawsuits1, one a class action and the other a wrongful firing suit. Both suits arise from allegations that the Johnson City Police Department ignored repeated allegations of rape and allowed the suspect, Sean Williams, to escape. While the wrongful firing suit is scheduled to go to trial this fall, the class action suit will not be heard until spring of 2025. Do we really want to vote away our ability to hold Commissioners accountable, before even the first trial is set to begin?
  3. Opportunity for New Representation Is Suppressed
    Eliminating the 2026 city elections restricts the opportunity for new voices and fresh perspectives to enter city government. Democracy thrives on competition and the exchange of ideas. By skipping an entire election period, we stifle the potential for innovation and progress within our city.

DID YOU KNOW? This is not the first time in recent years that the City Commission has proposed moving the city election date. In 2014, they moved Commission and School Board elections from April of odd years to November of even years. Then, as now, the change included the extension of terms. Two current Commission members have already enjoyed extended terms: Jenny Brock and John Hunter, who was on the Board of Education at the time. If this referendum passes, Brock and Hunter would be the first recipients of yet more unearned governing time. If August’s ballot question passes they will be automatically be gifted with another term extension.

We think that moving from April of odd years to November of even years ten years ago was a good decision for the city in terms of increasing voter participation and decreasing election costs. We do not believe the same beneficial calculation exists for today’s proposal.

A Vision Forward

Not only should city general elections stay on the November ballot, we think the counties should move their general elections to November as well.

This would put all the city, county, state, and federal primaries (except president) together on the August ballot. If our Commissioners want less confusion, that seems to be the way to go! Plus, for working people and busy families who may only be able to make it to their polling place once, they’d have all the general election races in one. We encourage city and county leaders to work together on this.

We also believe that the city (and county) should do more to get the word out about city elections. They could feature the dates and registration information prominently on the city website, social media, and newsletters. Since, as the Commissioners say, county government decisions “have a profound impact on what’s going on in both the city and the county,”1 the city could promote county elections, as well.

What will do the most to raise turnout for any race is competition. Many county seats, in particular, are unopposed, and the races with the highest participation are far and away the ones where voters have candidates to choose from.

Addressing the Arguments

They Say: Moving the Election Will Increase Turnout for County Elections

At the April 4 public hearing2, Commissioners expressed that moving the city’s general election to August, where they would be on the same ballot as county general elections and state and federal primaries, will increase voter turnout in county elections.

They presented no evidence to support this, nor have they presented evidence that Johnson City voters are under-represented in county elections compared to county residents voting in those elections.

The Johnson City Press, in their As We See It piece3 opposing this move, said that this proposal to move municipal elections “is an undemocratic attempt to reduce voter participation.”

We agree with the Press.

They Say: Moving the Election Will Reduce Voter Confusion

Commissioner Wise told WJHL4 that moving city elections to August will reduce voter confusion: “We’re electing one school board in August, the county school board, and the city school board in November of the same year. We’re electing county commissioners in August, but we’re electing city commissioners in November.”

We are sorry to hear that the Commissioner finds elections confusing. As for our neighbors, we find them to be generally smart people.

Perhaps a better remedy for any alleged confusion is for the city to be clearer in its messaging and more proactive in its efforts at civic engagement.

They Say: We Need to Be Concerned With Ballot Fatigue

At the April 4 public hearing2 on this ballot question, Commissioner Wise told us that the number of people who voted for the first race on a ballot and “the number of people who voted on page three of a ballot drops off precipitously.” Commissioner Hunter seconded that: he had read a study on ballot fatigue just that day, and said, “It has been studied and it is real.”

But what the commissioners don’t mention is that ballots tend to be more packed in August than in November. In fact, Robert Houk in his reporting on these referendums in the Johnson City Press started out by saying, “An already packed ballot in August has become even more crowded for voters in Johnson City.”5

We looked back at every election from 2016, when the city started holding its elections in November, through 2022, the most recent elections available. We found that the August ballot consistently has more items on it than the November ballot. Some years it’s one additional race; other years it’s quite a bit more. In 2022, Johnson City voters had around 50 decisions to make on their August ballot versus just 10 in November. Imagine adding even more races to August.

We hope the Commissioners will examine the evidence and revise their statements about which ballots are the most full.

They Say: Local Elections in November Take Voters By Surprise

Mayor Fowler told WJHL6, “[Voters] were showing up to vote for the presidential election and they figured out when they got there that there were other things that they were going to vote for, and they may not have had any idea who they were voting for.”

We agree with the Johnson City Press’s take3 on this argument: “If you’re worried not enough voters are aware of local issues, you’re not campaigning effectively.”

We also agree with Brad Batt, who spoke at the April 4 public hearing, when he said that voters are going to be in for a surprise when the City Commission and Board of Education elections aren’t on their 2026 ballots.

A better solution to the problem of voters being unaware of elections is to do better in promoting elections. A little, “While you’re voting for president this year, don’t forget you’ll also see city races on your ballot!” goes a long way.

They Say: Extending Terms Isn’t a Problem Because “It’s Already Been Done in the Past”

Finally, Mayor Fowler, at the April 4 public hearing2, told us that extending terms has already been done in the past. He then pointed to Commissioner Brock and told us that she had already received a 19-month extension when the election date was moved from April to November. (This new proposal would add 21 free months to her current term.)

We’re not sure this is the positive argument the Mayor seems to think it is.

Johnson City: Vote NO on Question 4

Your ballot will have 4 questions. Learn About the Others
Keep Accountability and Transparency in Our City Government

Beat These Ballot Questions with Us!

  1. Vote NO on all four ballot questions
  2. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors about these ballot questions
  3. Help get the word out in Johnson City by volunteering with the Protect the People’s Voice campaign
  4. Are you part of an organization that wants to join the Protect the People’s Voice coalition? Contact us here
  5. Are you press? Reach out to us here

Join the fight:

Election Day: August 1, 2024Early Voting: July 12-27Register to vote by July 1

Early Voting Times & LocationsVoter Registration

Protect the People's Voice Campaign Coalition Partners:
Northeast TN Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Pride Community and Education Center Ride JC Tri Cities Mutual Aid Washington County TN Democratic Party
Paid for by Protect the People’s Voice — Kate Craig, Treasurer