A bill is moving that could make the next municipal election in Jacksonville happen a bit earlier than initially planned.
The goal is to resolve schedule conflicts regarding certifying the election as currently scheduled and mailing the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) absentee ballots for the General Election, which serves as a run-off.
“Due to staffing, resources and time restraints, the Supervisor of Elections will be unable to have the next Second Election ballot prepared by the April 3, 2027, deadline to mail UOCAVA absentee ballots because the next First Election official returns will not be certified until the April 5, 2027, deadline.
The Rules Committee is unanimously advancing legislation (2025-765) that would change the “first election” in March 2027 to March 9, the tenth Tuesday of the election year, instead of the twelfth Tuesday (March 23).
A representative of the Supervisor of Elections office explained that the timing of overseas military ballots created the conflict.
“Deadlines for the Supervisor of Elections, as mandated by state Election Code, overlap with deadlines in the City’s Ordinance Code, making the Supervisor of Elections unable to fulfill his statutory obligations tied to the next First and Second Elections as currently scheduled,” the bill summary stipulates.
The first election moving up will not change the beginning of the qualifying period during the second week of January.
The bill will be considered by the whole Council next week, likely on the consent agenda, given the lack of controversy at its first stop.