Should local elections -- whether city or town council seats and mayors -- be held in November or some other date, at "special" polling places?
That question was addressed in Blacksburg in 2007, which is seeing one of the strongest candidate pools in recent history on the November 3rd ballot. Americans like having choices, and this extends to some of the debate about which candidates to elect (or where they'll allow residents to shop).
"Progressive" Christiansburg's sitting town council wasn't too enthused about making this change, but when the Mayor dismissed the topic it was reiterated citizens could have it decided by referendum.
And so it will appear as a question on the ballot: "Shall the Town of Christiansburg change the election date of the Mayor and members of Town Council from the May general to the November general election in odd numbered years, beginning with a change in the scheduled May 2012 election to November 2011?”
Support is growing, coming from wide segments of the community throughout the Commonwealth. Benefits underscore what Montgomery County's registrar previously briefed town council on. A collateral benefit is that having the question on the ballot is more inclusive than it being determined by a handful of individuals -- Christiansburg's population is estimated at more than 20,000 and having over 12,000 registered voters.
Now, we see this topic has come up again in Radford as one response to funding reductions by the state. It has also been a topic in Pulaski with the aspect of partisan politics resulting only due to a mayor's endorsement of a state candidate.
Whether for convenience, stopping polling place confusion, increasing voter participation (and therefore expanding representative government), or better utilizing finite resources -- this is expected to remain a topic in communities across Virginia.