By Nick Sodano, with contributions from residents Tara Astor and Amber Kopervos
READERS ARE ADVISED: There are fake and anonymous FB accounts that are spreading lies about this ballot question.
Mount Holly has a history of non-partisan elections. Part of that history is the “run-off” election which rematches the first and second place candidates. This historical solution was employed by Mt. Holly only when a candidate was unable to get support from over 50% of the ballots cast.
One of the biggest problems with allowing a candidate to win with a mere plurality is that such a “winner” is opposed by over 50% of the voters. In the last Council election, almost 58% of the voters did NOT prefer the candidates who were declared the winners.
Also, run-offs overturn the “spoiler effect” of candidates who were only able to gather enough votes to deny a majority to a second place candidate. The run-off elections therefore off a way to determine the will of the majority of voters and a means to cure what some consider a “wasted vote” cast for candidates that did not make it into the run-off.
So on your upcoming ballot you will see the following public question regarding run-offs:
“Shall run-off elections be held in the Township of Mount Holly as permitted by the ‘Uniform Nonpartisan Elections Law’?”
We urge you to vote Yes on this question for the following reasons:
a. Winners should not be opposed by more than 50% of voters. This past election featured 58% against the winners. That was with 3 slates running. Imagine an election with 5 slates: A “winner” could have less than 25% of the votes cast.
b. Candidates will work harder to gain the support of more than 50% of voters so that then can avoid a run-off. This means more door knocking to get in-person time with voters. This pressure to door-knock promotes accountability and serves to filter out candidates who are unwilling to work hard for your vote.
c. Where a run-off does occur, candidates will need to broaden their appeal to voters who did not previously vote for them. This may either be by just contacting more voters, or by adopting issues that were previously not featured. This fosters more personal connections between elected leaders and voters. That is a win-win-win for democracy.
d. Run-offs allow voters to support a candidate who they like the most instead of casting a “strategic - winner take all” vote for a less preferable candidate who they think is more likely to beat a candidate they oppose.