Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News and Hampton need to end May elections
By JR Hoeft | Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 | PoliticsWith Portsmouth joining Suffolk and Virginia Beach in Hampton Roads ending the longstanding tradition of holding May elections for local city leaders, it’s time for other regional cities to join in and do the same.
Major cities like Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News, and Hampton still cling to a relic well past its day and have yet to move their elections also to November.
As Brian Kirwin alluded to in his post, the May election allows the process to be dominated by local city leaders who effectively pick and choose who they want to run or what they want to run for. It’s about as democratic as a turkey’s choice at Thanksgiving.
Case in point, Tom Moss, former speaker of the house, totally usurped our friend and then Democratic nominee, Vivian Paige, in the Norfolk’s Treasurer’s race in 2006. Only by his network and low-turnout was he able to keep Vivian from being the city’s next treasurer. So, instead, Norfolk got a longtime political boss as the treasurer instead of a qualified small business owner and CPA. (Update: We’ll find another example, but Vivian’s race was in Nov. 2005…for some reason I thought it was spring of 2006)
Additionally, the taxpayers have to foot the bill not for one or two but potentially three elections per year (when you add the local election to go along with a primary and general). How is that conservative?
Finally, with local candidates on the ballot in November, they actually do get more attention than in May. The results bear this out.
In 2006, the May election in Virginia Beach yielded a paltry 16% turnout for at-large city council races; in 2010, that number soared for the same race to 42%.
If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will. Over 250% more voters turnout for a general election in November to elect local candidates than they do for the arcane May election.
If you are a fan of democracy, choice, and saving taxpayers money, you need to favor moving local elections to November.
It’s time for Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News, and Hampton to do the right thing for Hampton Roads voters.
Update: Vivian Paige also chimes in with this reasonable post where she takes a different approach to the discussion.
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About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
Comments
11 Responses to "Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News and Hampton need to end May elections"
Norfolk doesn’t even televise Council Informal Sessions. They’re going to have to be brought kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
While I appreciate the comment, please be aware that the elections for Constitutional Officers, such as the Treasurer, are held in November and not May.
So that datapoint doesn’t quite work. Oops. My mistake from trying to work from memory.
However, if it’s o.k. for constitutional officers, why isn’t it o.k. for the rest of the local officials?
Turnout is certainly higher in November elections than in May elections. I’m not sure it’s true that local candidates get more attention. Wouldn’t you think races for Congress drove the turnout in Virginia Beach this year? I know it’s hard to get media attention for a down ballot statewide race. I’d guess it would be even more difficult for a local race when the electorate and media are focused on a gubernatorial or U.S. Senate or presidential race. Maybe November in the off year– when we just elect the General Assembly?
They are different animals. Probably the biggest difference between the two is that constitutional officers are selected by party, while local elections in most localities are officially non-partisan.
One downside is that it is more expensive for the local officials campaigns. Something that Brian was lamenting about the other day.
As I said on FB, while we’re at it…how about elected school boards?
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JR Please leave my city out of this. We need to have elections in May or face nothing but democrats
Tyler….I agree. Local elections like City Council in Norfolk being moved to November pretty much shuts out the average person from running….or anyone besides a Democrat.(Except in Ward 5) We already have that situation now all other elected offices. The local City Council races are the last vestige of grassroots campaigns.
This comment may appear too late for anyone to notice it.
I want to state at the outset that I oppose ANY restriction on the voting franchise beyond the age, citizenship, or residency requirements imposed by law.
However, it always strikes me as comical and inane that fans of November City Council elections live under some lunatic fantasy that November voters (the type that just will not vote in May) are somehow more likely to follow city-specific issues when voting for City Council members than they do in the May elections they stay away from, or that said November voters will exercise due diligence in examining the merits of City Council candidates as they presumably do when evaluating federal or state candidates.
I hear all this handwringing about how May elections are corrupt or controlled by special interests. But if voters will not take the time to pay attention to a race that will affect their lives and the lives of their children (almost all school funding, zoning, resource allocation decisions are done by City Councils and/or local school boards) in May, why am I supposed to feel sorry for them or move mountains to try to get them to care in November?
We are so accustomed to being spoon fed everything in this country that we’ve come to believe we are entitled to ignore government except on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. I would posit instead that voters have a duty to themselves, their families, and their neighbors to assertively pay attention to government year ’round. Maybe the low May election turnouts merely reflect the participation of those who give a crap about city and town government. Everyone else, as demonstrated by his behavior, either is COMPLETELY SATISFIED with his city or town government, or he just doesn’t care. If someone is completely satisfied, he’s unlikely to participate even in a November election. And if he just doesn’t care, are you really sure you WANT him participating in that election?
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