Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Proposal to move municipal elections to even years draws divided response from cities and election administrators
Summary
Representative Lucas Schubert told the Senate Local Government Committee that moving municipal elections to even-numbered years would raise turnout; local governments and county election officials warned it would lengthen ballots, increase ballot-style complexity, strain vendors and staff, and could drown out local issues during high-dollar state and federal cycles.
House Bill 221 would move municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, sponsor Representative Lucas Schubert told the Senate Local Government Committee, arguing that turnout is consistently higher in even-year federal and statewide cycles.
Schubert said the change would both increase voter participation in municipal contests and reduce the number of separate election events election administrators must run, and he said he will offer a transition amendment to avoid disrupting candidates who have already filed for 2025 races.
The Secretary of State's office, represented by Austin James, expressed support for the bill…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
