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Board weighs moving Panama City elections to November to boost turnout; no final decision
Summary
The Charter Review Advisory Board examined decade-long turnout data showing much higher participation in November gubernatorial/presidential cycles and discussed models (Tallahassee top-two system, 50%+1 threshold, or plurality in November). Members raised trade-offs and tabled a final decision until an absent member can weigh in.
Jonathan Hayes, the city manager and staff presenter, told the Charter Review Advisory Board that Panama City’s city-only turnout has been low in standalone municipal cycles — often 13%–25% — while November gubernatorial and presidential elections drew far higher participation, including 51.9% in November 2022 and more than 70% in November 2024 in the city. "Turnout is consistently much higher in the November gubernatorial and presidential elections," Hayes said as he reviewed ten years of local results and examples from Tallahassee, which moved municipal elections to the fall around 2000 and saw…
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