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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-19-26 Public Comment - M. Bateson - Keep It Simple, Stupid_ Advocating for At-Large VotingFrom:Mary Bateson To:Bozeman Goverment Study Commission; Carson Taylor; Deanne.Campbell@bozemanmt.gov; Becky Franks; JanStrout; Barb Cestero; mike.mass@bozemanmt.gov Subject:[EXTERNAL]Keep It Simple, Stupid: Advocating for At-Large Voting Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2026 3:43:42 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Study Commission for Bozeman, Montana, I would like to reiterate my advocacy for having Bozeman retain its At-Large Voting system, without adding the complexity of splitting our town into Wards. To sum it up: Keep It Simple, Stupid – KISS From Dr. A.I. Google, I got this definition: “KISS stands for "Keep It Simple, Stupid". It is a widely used design and problem-solving principle that states most systems, processes, and communications work best if they are kept simple rather than made unnecessarily complex. The principle is a reminder to fight the urge to overcomplicate things. It emphasizes that a clean, straightforward approach is more effective, easier to maintain, and less prone to errors. The word "stupid" is not meant as an insult. Instead, it serves as a blunt reminder to yourself to avoid overengineering or getting too clever.” I would like to remind the Study Commission of Bozeman to heed this warning, and “KISS” your decision concerning Bozeman’s system of voting for Commissioners. That said, I hope the lists of my reasons are not too complicated. Thank you for considering them, and thank you for your work on this Study Commission. Sincerely, Mary Bateson, Bozeman Resident Reasons I oppose BOTH the purely Ward system or the Wards/At-Large Hybrid: 1. Because Bozeman is growing rapidly, Ward boundaries would also change rapidly to retain the geographic compactness and population balance in the Wards. This complexity would lead to problems of increased costs and confusion for candidates and voters. (As happened in Gallatin County this year.) 2. All Wards may not have enough qualified candidates to provide for democratic choice. 3. Voter participation is already low in non-federal election cycles, increased complexity in voting could drive voters away, and make this situation worse. Reasons I oppose the purely Ward system with voters only voting for candidates in their own Ward: Reason 1, 2, 3, above, and: 4. I support voting for a qualified person with shared views, not an address. 5. Voters do not stay only at their voting address, but live, work, recreate, and shop all across town. We are part of the whole community. 6. Our commissioners must represent the whole community, not just those of people in their Ward. 7. Studies from other locations indicate that female candidates tend to be disadvantaged in Ward systems. 8. While candidates may have lower campaign costs, if this is seen as a benefit, there are other ways to assist candidates than shrinking the size of the places they must campaign. Reasons I oppose the Hybrid Ward/At-Large system with candidates eligible by their address, but voting At-Large: Reason 1, 2, 3, above, and: 4. Eliminates the “benefit” of increased representation of the people in the Ward. 5. This eliminates any benefit of possible lower campaign costs. 6. This system would be far more complex. Please resist the temptation to over engineer this or get too clever. Especially if you add a combination of Ward based candidates and At-Large candidates into the mix. KISS. KISS. KISS. Reasons I support maintaining the At-Large system of voting: 1. Because Bozeman is growing rapidly, representation of our population across the town will increase with time, organically. If the problem is that previous commissioners have all lived near each other, that is sure to change as Bozeman changes. It is already happening. 2. Bozeman will continue to have enough qualified candidates to provide for democratic choice. 3. Voter participation is already low in non-federal election cycles, keeping the At-Large system makes voting easier for all. 4. I support voting for a qualified person with shared views, not an address. 5. Voters do not stay only at their voting address, but live, work, recreate, and shop all across town. We are part of the whole community. 6. Our commissioners must represent the whole community. 7. This Study Commission has added Article VII “Role of Public Engagement in Local Governance” and strengthened the language concerning obtaining civic input via the Neighborhood Associations, the Inter-Neighborhood Council, and the Advisory Boards to the Bozeman City Commission. This should aid in increasing the voices of our entire community. 8. The system is lower cost than either Ward or Hybrid systems, which both involve analysis of population data and drawing of boundaries, which are likely to change quickly. 9. Studies from other locations indicate that female candidates tend to be disadvantaged in Ward systems. Thank you for considering these thoughts.