Portsmouth ends May elections
By Brian Kirwin | Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 | PoliticsAnother city has joined the movement to end the archaic, good ol’ boys controlled May elections and move local elections to November.
Portsmouth has changed its city charter to end the low-turnout, special interest controlled May elections in favor of high-turnout November, joining Virginia Beach and Suffolk.
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The right wants to jeer him. The left wants to censor him. Moderates usually want both. Brian Kirwin is a political consultant and public relations strategist in Virginia Beach with a lightning-rod flair. Brian also serves on the VB Arts & Humanities Commission and frequently appears on Hampton Roads theatrical stages, if only to prove that all actors aren’t liberals. Kirwin’s columns stir up debate and hit the political scene with no punches pulled.
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5 Responses to "Portsmouth ends May elections"
Portsmouth (like any other city) has the ability to move it’s city elections to November.
What Portsmouth can’t do is change it’s City Charter. That requires an act of the General Assembly.
[...] Henry Ryto: Portsmouth (like any other city) has the ability to move it’s city elections to November. What… [...]
This is much better for the taxpayer, but much worse for residents of Portsmouth that are fans of limited government.
[...] post: Portsmouth ends May elections : Bearing Drift: Virginia Politics … Share and [...]
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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