Today’s Pilot editorial discusses the efforts of Virginia Beach councilman Jim Wood to move that city’s municipal elections from May to November. Wood is trying to accomplish what Mayor Meyera Oberndorf was unable to do in 2001 or 2003 and follows the lead of the City of Richmond, who saw its voter turnout increase from 17% to 42% after a similar move. Virginia Beach voter turnout this May was about 17%.
As is typical, moving municipal elections in Norfolk from May to November isn’t even on the council’s radar. Norfolk had a dismal 18.67% voter turnout in May. By comparison, voter turnout in November 2005 was 40.6%. So why is Virginia Beach looking at the this – for the third time, no less – but Norfolk is not?
The last time I looked, the city has to bear the cost of holding elections in May, but a move to November means the state picks up the tab. For this reason alone it makes sense to move the elections to November. So what is the benefit of having elections in May? The only reason I can come up with is that it would give opponents a better chance to unseat incumbents.
People are conditioned to voting in November. The top of the ticket drives people to the polls. This November, we have the US Senate and the US House of Representative races on the ballot. I think it is reasonable to say that voter turnout in Norfolk will far exceed 18.67%. The last non-presidential election year with Senate and House Races on the ballot was 2002, and the turnout was 35.24%. I think more voters participating in the process is a good thing.
I don’t expect that Norfolk council will take up this issue, though. They will say that the people they have talked to (read: the insiders) don’t think it is an issue. But to me, this is a continuation of this council’s paternalistic view of all that occurs in Norfolk. “You elected us to do what’s best for the city and we know what’s best” is the attitude of council, even though Norfolk council has no mechanism for engaging in a conversation with the public. “Public hearings” are a joke. Council sits there like seven bumps on a log, rarely saying anything to the people who speak. Same is true for council meetings. The informal sessions are open to the public – but the public can’t speak.
So don’t expect Norfolk to take up the issue of moving elections to May. The last thing Norfolk council wants is a participating public.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 