Trina Baughn
By Trina Baughn
Did you know that most of our local elections have historically been decided by less than 20 percent of our population? In fact, one of the biggest financial decisions ever made in our city’s history—the high school renovation project—was determined by only 11 percent (3,198) of our residents.
A number of factors have empowered the establishment for decades. If they have their way again this year, half of your elected officials will come from the most affluent neighborhoods in Oak Ridge, with half of them living on the very same street of McMansions! Given that the our average household income is $48,716, this is not even close to a true representation of the people in our community.
This year, though, the establishment is nervous and they should be for three very big reasons.
First, they see what has happened in neighboring Knox County. Both sides of the house there have seen a major shift that has returned the power to the people and significantly reduced cronyism. Not only do they have a mayor who challenges fraud, waste and abuse at every turn, but they now also have a Board of Education chair who, just a year ago, was the odd man out in voting for the best interests of the parents, students, and teachers. These are exciting times for Knox County, and they are certainly inspiring for Oak Ridgers who want their voices reflected in their votes!
Second, they know that the public is more informed about the issues than ever before. Social media has had an amazing impact on our collective consciousness, and it has inspired people to actively engage in government decisions. The power of the people was undeniably influential in major issues like school transportation and Clark Center Park. During these public discussions, the people rejected excuses and demanded that the will of the people prevail…and it did…big time!
Finally, the establishment is worried because they must persuade a much larger audience to vote in their favor. When elections were moved from June to November in 2012, the increased voter turnout meant that the total votes to win rose sharply from around 2,000 to 7,000.
When you consider all of these variables along with the fact that the majority of both the City Council and the Board of Education seats are up for grabs, it is clear that Oak Ridgers have an unprecedented opportunity to influence their destiny. For the first time in many years, the people have a chance to determine their city’s future instead of the establishment.
It is also clear by the sheer volume of candidates that Oak Ridgers are ready for a new direction. Unfortunately, a large number of candidates dilutes the vote, which, in turn, favors establishment candidates. This is because voters, though not required, feel an obligation to use all of their votes since the ballot states “pick three†or “pick four.†After selecting their favorite candidate, many voters will use their remaining votes on candidates based more on popularity than substance.
There is an election hack, though, that has historically been used to help lesser-known candidates beat those odds. Establishment candidates would rather you not understand what is commonly referred to as the Single Shot Strategy. The mathematics are not universally applicable nor are they simple; but the gist of it is that by only voting for your preferred candidate (and conversely “wasting†your other votes) you essentially triple or quadruple your vote for your favorite candidate.
Now the establishment will decry that if you single-shot vote, you are not fulfilling your voting right or obligation. But because their candidates use this strategy to their advantage and because we’ve seen elections won by less than 50 votes in Oak Ridge, it is critical that everyone understand this concept. By getting their core supporters to single shot, establishment candidates have diminished the average voter’s strength by turning their 200 votes into 800. As John Meyer of Star-News put it, “The lower the number of votes per voter, the stronger the single-shot effect.†Any vote that is for someone other than your favorite candidate is a vote against them.
November 4 will be the third and final election of the year. It is also the most critical election for Oak Ridgers because the results will directly affect your family and your finances. Learn everything you can about your preferred candidates and make your vote truly count so that we can be an example of what true representation—of the people, by the people, and for the people—looks like. Early voting runs from October 15-30, and Election Day is November 4. Vote early, encourage your neighbors to vote, and vote wisely. See you at the polls!
Baughn is an Oak Ridge City Council member.
Susie Williams Taylor says
Single Shot Voting has been utilized for decades….at least nationally. Why not locally??
Charlie Jernigan says
Well, perhaps because you are asking for voters to give up their rights to vote. And that is a very important right and obligation of citizenship to give up and to settle for never having you views ever being effectively represented.
Here is a simple local example. There are 4 open at-large seats in an election and a sitting legislator who is not up for re-election asks voters to perform a single shot tactic to elect a companion. If successful, the people who chose to support that tactic will have 1 out of 4 success in this election, effectively giving up their rights in the other 3 seats by not supporting other candidates that would do a good job on their behalf. If it fails they will have 0 out of 4 success in this election, losing the one they thought was worthy plus the three on whom they abstained.
Since this is a two-cycle election, with 4 elected this year and 3 two years hence, the best the single shot tactic could ever produce is a minority position of 5 to 2 with the supporters frustrated by never feeling supported by the council. That is until these voters realize that such requests are essentially self-serving by the legislators/candidates who advocate for the single shot, abandon this doomed tactic, and resume exercising their full voting rights.
A better tactic would be to support the candidates that best represent your views and who choose to work within the system to find compromises that represent your viewpoints in meaningful ways.
Mark Caldwell says
Ms. Baughn brings forth some good points. Perhaps we should return to electing our representatives to the city council according to city precincts. This was how it worked in Oak Ridge years ago. Then, we would have only one that lived on the McMansion street.
P.S. I don’t agree with you regarding the current Knox County mayor and newly elected chairman of the Know County Board of Education. But, it takes a village.
Charlie Jernigan says
We just went through this matter of splitting the town apart and the idea was defeated because of the small town boss cronyism effect in low turnout precincts. The one shot tactic is an effort to get accomplish the same sort of result. And please remember that Ms Baughn is now part of the establishment, just not one who is interested in solutions.
Depending on where you come from, an A-House with indoor plumbing could be considered a McMansion.
I hope this “McMansion” smear of successful people does not take hold. We need successful people to lead this city forward. The alternative would be tragic.
Mark Caldwell says
No smear – just fairer representation. But then again, fair is in the eyes of the beholder.
And yes, I agree with you: an “A” house would definitely be considered a mansion to many, many other humans, just not to most Oak Ridgers.
P.S. I like my “A” house. I’ve lived there for many years and now own it outright. I am truly rich.
Charlie Jernigan says
The smear did not come from you. You were only using the author’s wording…
Virginia M. Jones says
It’s deja vu all over again. A City Council which has representatives from each district is a representative council. A council which is all at large is dominated by candidates and their supporters who have more means and citywide name recognition. A truly rational solution to the problem of adequate representation of all citizens is to have a combination of at-large and district representation, as Knoxville has. That way movers and shakers can be represented, and ordinary, unknown citizens can be represented. It is misleading and false to describe the movement a few years ago to have a more democratic and representative form of city government as an attempt to split the city apart. This kind of rhetoric was typical of those who wanted to maintain the less representative and less democratic form of government of an all at-large city council. Apparently, this rhetoric is still being used.
Charlie Jernigan says
We’ve been there, done that and have moved on.
We should not forget the circumstances that caused us to move from 12 city council members to the current 7. When we grow a bit (right now, we are smaller that an single district in K’town) and have a viable, active electorate, city-wide, maybe it would start to make sense.
My preference continues to be to reduce the drama and distractions (including those who want to build their little fiefdoms) and tackle real problems that will be deadly to our city. Financing the government services that we enjoy at a lower property tax rate, provide amenities that will attract local job holders to live here, improve the housing stock, and continue to provide an excellent educational opportunity for our families.
We are beginning to make some real progress here… Let’s keep our eyes on the goal.
Virginia M. Jones says
Being concerned that the city have a truly representative government is not a distraction. It is Democracy 101. Progress will be made when all citizens in Oak Ridge are represented on Council, not just the movers and shakers.
Joseph Lee says
The truly rational solution to the problem of adequate representation of all citizens is to have an educated electorate. We have that here thanks to the quality of our schools. All of us should get out and vote.
I like my B house. It’s a B+ now. I think I’ll stay.