City of Dallas voters will now cast their votes in November instead of May, ending the trend of back-to-back elections in odd years.
The Dallas City Council voted unanimously to approve the change in election dates amid applause in the council chambers.
Supporters of the measure say consolidating the elections can reduce the city’s recurring expenses, cut down on voter fatigue and increase participation in elections that have rarely seen more than 10% of the city’s registered voters weigh in on issues as important as picking their representatives in the city government.
This move comes a year after a majority of the city’s voters gave a resounding seal of approval to moving elections. The Texas Legislature followed suit by passing Senate Bill 1494, which gives local governments the avenue to move their elections.
Political Points
“Many times I have heard voters express surprise on hearing there is an upcoming election,” Diane Tasian, a representative from the League of Women Voters, said Wednesday. “Simplifying the voting calendar would reduce that experience of shame, otherwise responsible voters feel when they are surprised to hear of yet another election.”
Regular elections, often held on Saturdays, will be held on a Tuesday. Meanwhile, runoffs will be held on Saturdays, unless local entities work together to find another date. Earlier this week, council members on the ad hoc administrative affairs committee raised logistical issues that would need to be addressed in the coming years. In the 2027 election, outgoing council members would remain in office past the end of their terms in June until their successors are elected.
“This is not a silver bullet, by the way,” said Rep. Rafael Anchía, D-Dallas, who worked alongside Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, to shepherd the legislation to the governor’s desk. “We will go from abysmal turnout to just low turnout, right? And so keep that in mind as you’re thinking of other creative ways to stimulate more participation among the electorate.”
This year, voters participated in local municipal elections in May and statewide elections in November.
The recent City Council election cost the city $1.1 million. If it had been moved to November, it would have cost the city about $500,000 because the county would have covered about 65% of the cost, city officials said.