The partisan nature of the selection process should come as no surprise. Partisan messages were sent to voters through a variety of means. These messages often were part of the campaign advertising. Even the print and broadcast media repeatedly referred to the race as "officially nonpartisan" while frequently attaching partisan labels to the candidates.
The candidates themselves brought partisan baggage to the nonpartisan campaign. Both candidates had previous political experience and came to the race with extensive partisan experience. Their histories include time spent holding partisan office, staking out issue positions, voting for and sponsoring bills, and campaigning on behalf of fellow partisans.
These histories shape public perceptions and affix labels to the candidates. Not surprisingly then, last Tuesday's vote exhibited features of a partisan race.
The Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University conducted an exit poll with Salt Lake City voters Tuesday. The sample includes completed interviews with 3,497 of the 40,689 voters , with interviewees from all 67 polling locations throughout the city.
One survey question asked voters to place the two candidates along a seven-point scale, with the number one representing a "strong Democrat" and the number seven representing a "strong Republican."
The average Salt Lake City voter is a 3.2 on this scale (leaning Democratic). The average voter also placed Ralph Becker about one point away at 2.5 (even more Democratic). Predictably, the average voter placed Dave Buhler nearly two and a half points away at 5.6 (leaning Republican) on this scale. In other words, voters were easily able to sort correctly the two candidates as Republican or Democrat.
It follows that Becker won because voters perceived him to be much closer to their own position on the scale. There is a strong relationship between voters' self-described partisan affiliation and their choice for mayor. Seventy-six percent of Republicans voted for the Republican Buhler, and 86 percent of Democrats supported Becker, the Democrat.
One question that Salt Lake City residents should ask themselves is whether the nonpartisan election format is serving them well. If the partisan nature of the race is clear to everyone, why not get the parties involved?
Political scientists who study nonpartisan local elections find that they inspire less interest from voters and subsequently lower levels of political participation. Political parties generate interest in campaigns, mobilize voters and provide easy cues to help voters make their decisions.
If the Salt Lake City mayoral election is really nonpartisan in name only, then Salt Lake City voters are holding a partisan election without any of the benefits of political party involvement.
We are not optimistic that Salt Lake City elections will become truly nonpartisan anytime soon. Nor do we have any illusions about the competitiveness of the two parties in a city where one party now dominates. However, the absence of the political parties from the electoral scene only perpetuates the low voter turnout and interest that now routinely characterize most local elections.
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* QUIN MONSON is an assistant professor and assistant director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at BYU. KELLY D. PATTERSON is a professor and director of CSED at BYU. The views expressed are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the university.
