Mayors, commissioners could get extra year
posted Jul 5, 2008 - 11:08:30am
Volusia County’s cities are contemplating whether to change their elections to combine them with federal, state and county elections already happening in even-numbered years. For a rundown of the pros and cons, see below.
Debary and Pierson will ask residents to decide whether to switch, in November referendums.
Orange City and Lake Helen have decided not to change their schedules. Deltona's city commission votes Monday, July 7, and DeLand's votes Wednesday, July 9.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in DeLand, Deltona and DeBary:
DELAND
The City of DeLand has yet to decide whether to change its election schedule.
At its July 9 meeting, the DeLand City Commission will consider, on first reading, an ordinance that would change city elections so they would be combined with county, state and federal elections.
If that passes, a second reading will be required before the change becomes law.
Volusia County cities are being asked to consider changing their municipal-election schedules to combine city elections with state and national elections already going on in even-numbered years.
Combining the elections would reduce the number of required election audits, likely increase participation in city elections, and save the cities money, because polling places are already being opened and ballots are already being printed for the larger elections.
There is concern, however, that small city races would be lost in the din of electioneering for presidential, congressional or gubernatorial elections already going on in even-numbered years. Some fear municipal candidates would have to raise more money than they typically have, to get their campaigns noticed.
"Both sides of the argument have merit," City Commissioner Phil Martin said, when the City Commission discussed the decision in June.
If DeLand wants to change its elections, the Florida Legislature has paved the way.
To help county elections supervisors meet the new election-auditing requirements, the Legislature passed a law that allows city governments, by ordinance, to change their election schedules without asking voters to change the city charter.
DeLand is contemplating whether to do that, or whether to ask city voters whether they want to make the change, or to keep city elections in odd-numbered years, as they are now.
Most of Volusia County's cities have elections in odd-numbered years, when no county, state or federal races are being decided.
DeLand, with five city commissioners serving four-year terms, has a municipal election every odd-numbered year. One year, three seats are up for election; two years after that, the other two are up for election.
If commissioners decide to change the schedule, they would give themselves an extra year in office. Instead of coming up for re-election in 2009 or 2011, the expiration of the sitting commissioners' terms would be postponed until 2010 and 2012.
PRO
• Higher voter turnout. Because more people typically vote in presidential and gubernatorial elections than in city races, more people would likely cast ballots in city elections, if those races were on the same ballot as state and national races.
• Cities would save money. The Volusia County Elections Office has said it will pay the cost of city elections, if they are held at the same time as county, state and national races, in even-numbered years.
CON
• Loss of control. Instead of having their own canvassing boards to oversee vote-counting in city elections, the cities would turn this job over to the three-member county canvassing board.
• No more low-cost elections. It would likely take more money than is typically raised in municipal races to get a candidate noticed, amid electioneering for presidential, gubernatorial, legislative and County Council seats.
• Fewer election audits.
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Do they think we are all so STUPID as to buy this story? They know their jobs are on the line. No one is happy with the way they are performing.
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