Council Member Michael Cathcart has issued the following statement to announce his introduction of a resolution opposing House Bill 1339. The proposed legislation, known as HB 1339, would move municipal elections alongside state and federal races to even-numbered years.
Cathcart Statement is as follows:
“House Bill 1339 is an unnecessary and reckless overhaul of local elections. Moving municipal elections would bury local issues beneath high-profile state and federal races, making it harder for voters to focus on local governance. It doesn’t just open the door to partisan interference—it kicks it in. Holding local elections concurrently with presidential, legislative, and congressional campaigns will leave voters little time or energy to research down-ballot issues. City elections work best when voters can focus on local leadership, not when they’re lumped in with national political brawls. In a recent article, Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton and Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs—two of the state’s top election officials—have likewise expressed concern. In a News Tribune editorial, they cautioned that merging local and even-year races would erode media coverage of city issues, push important debates into the background, and discourage voters from engaging with municipal candidates.
Spokane’s municipal elections are intentionally designed to be nonpartisan, prioritizing leadership and policy over party labels. Holding them alongside partisan campaigns risks politicizing local issues. Therefore, merging our city elections with big-ticket partisan battles will politicize our races. It takes issues like public safety or infrastructure investments and turns them into just another front in the partisan war. That’s not how Spokane should be operating. Beyond the risk of partisanship, HB 1339 threatens to entrench political power. Under even-year scheduling, local contenders must compete with massive state and federal races for attention and resources—often an uphill battle for newcomers or grassroots campaigns. You're out of luck if you’re not an incumbent or a household name. This bill protects those already in power while shutting out new candidates who want to make a difference. That’s not democracy—that’s gatekeeping. Currently, Spokane County Elections operates on a single-page, 14-inch ballot. Even-year elections would likely force an expansion to a 19-inch or multi-page format—an approach that adds confusion, increases the odds that voters return incomplete ballots, and complicates reconciliation which could erode public trust. Right now, Spokane County elections fit neatly on a single-page ballot. But under this bill, people will be far more likely to miss critical local races or drop off before they even reach the city council section.
Studies confirm that longer ballots contribute to “voter fatigue,” where individuals skip or stop voting down the ballot. When you overwhelm voters with multi-page ballots, confusion and drop-off are inevitable. Furthermore, when voters feel disengaged or see confusing vote counts, they stop trusting the system. Voters already feel overwhelmed with politics—this bill only makes it worse. People must trust that their votes will count and they deserve to know that their leaders are focused on Spokane’s priorities, not on whatever partisan fights dominate national headlines.
The newly introduced resolution directs that HB 1339 (or similar legislation) be added to Spokane’s legislative agenda as an opposed measure. It affirms that the city has no interest in moving our local elections to even years. HB 1339 does the opposite of what good governance requires—it adds confusion, undermines confidence, and makes it harder for voters to engage. It’s unnecessary and will result in fewer people participating in the elections that impact their daily lives the most.”
