City elections belong in fall

Best hope for increased voter turnout is return to tradition

Over the past couple of decades, Salisbury's municipal elections have been moved from the fall, when primary and general elections are traditionally held, to spring, then to fall and finally back to spring, where they remain. All was done in an effort to increase voter turnout in city elections. Anemic turnout indicates or results in a lack of civic engagement on the part of city residents, which can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and lack of any sense of ownership in community affairs, establishments, institutions and life.

The theory behind the springtime election date is that divorcing municipal campaigns and voting from the sometimes more-compelling state and national elections might encourage residents to focus on local issues and candidates instead of addressing them as an afterthought, especially in presidential election years. There was also the opinion that spring weather is less likely to deter people from the polls than sometimes chilly or otherwise unpleasant late fall forecasts. Read Whole Article

Interesting that they are keeping this out front. If you remember this was a small snippet in my editorial last Sunday.