JACKSON — The Jackson Township Council has introduced an ordinance that seeks to move the date of the municipal election from May to November.
The ordinance was introduced during the council’s June 14 meeting. A public hearing is scheduled for the council’s June 28 meeting. The council may vote to adopt the ordinance following the public hearing.
A state law allows a town with a nonpartisan municipal government that holds its municipal election in May to move the election to the date of the general election in November.
Several years ago when Jackson voters opted to switch from a partisan Township Committee form of government to a nonpartisan mayor and Township Council form of government, the date of the municipal election was switched from November to May.
Council members voted 3-2 on June 14 to introduce the ordinance that, if adopted, will move the town’s nonpartisan election to November.
Those who support the move say it will save money by eliminating the May election and assure a larger turnout for the municipal vote.
Those opposed to the move say voters opted to have the municipal election in May when they changed Jackson’s form of government in 2006.
Council President Scott Martin, Councilman Ken Bressi and Councilwoman Ann Updegrave voted to introduce the ordinance.
Councilman Mike Kafton and Councilwoman Bobbie Rivere voted no on the introduction of the ordinance.
Rivere was participating in the meeting via phone.
During a discussion of the matter, Kafton said a council decision to change the date of the municipal election would override the will of the voters who chose to support a new form of government with a municipal election in May.
“The election was voted on by the residents of Jackson,” Kafton said. “We, the governing body, should not overturn what the voters already voted for. I think we [would be] taking the rights away from the voters.”
A vote to adopt the ordinance and move Jackson’s next municipal election from May 2012 to November 2012 would also extend the terms of the council members whose terms are ending next year.
At the present time, those terms are scheduled to end on June 30, 2012. Moving the municipal election to November would extend those terms to Dec. 31, 2012.
Martin said Jackson will save at least $45,000 by changing the date of the municipal election from May to November.
“The numbers are clear,” Martin said. “In the May [2010] election there were 7,722 voters for mayor, and if you look at the November election, 13,470 people voted. That’s about double the number of the people who are participating.”
Martin said the municipal election, even if it is held in November, will remain nonpartisan.
Under Jackson’s nonpartisan form of government, any resident who wants to run for mayor or council may secure a spot on the ballot without having to be screened or approved by the officers of a political party.
There are no primary elections in a nonpartisan form of government. A political party may endorse a candidate or candidates, but the candidates do not run on a political party line.
Kafton said voters decided several years ago to switch to a form of government that has municipal elections in May and he said that if the council now wants to change the election to November, a referendum question should be placed on the November ballot so that residents — and not just the council members — can have a say on moving the date of the election.
Rivere said three of five council people should not make the decision to change the date of Jackson’s municipal election.
“I am not opposed to moving the election to November. I am opposed to not letting the voters decide whether to move the election to November,” she said.
Rivere said she is opposed to extending the term of office for council members’ whose term is supposed to end on June 30, 2012, to Dec. 31, 2012.
Rivere said she still did not understand how changing the date of the election would save money.
Updegrave said she saw nothing wrong with moving the municipal election to November.
“We are saving money,” she said. “People are confused by the May election. People are tired of coming out to vote more than once a year. More people would represent the populace. It makes more sense to move this to November.”
Bressi said the township will save $45,000 by eliminating an extra election in May. He said a higher turnout in November is a factor in making the change.
“The November election has a better turnout, two to one,” said Bressi. “It is very important to get the votes out.”
Kafton noted that in the past, Bressi has said that a decision on whether to change the date of the municipal election should go to the voters.
Bressi said that in looking at the difference in the turnout between a May election and a November election, he changed his mind.
The public hearing on the ordinance is set for 7:30 p.m. June 28.
— Contact Dave Benjamin at [email protected]