The Brief
Dallas City Council elections for mayor and council members will now be held in November of odd-numbered years.
The change, approved by the city council, aims to boost low voter turnout and save the city nearly a half-million dollars in election costs.
Residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of the change in 2024, but the council is just now acting on it.
DALLAS – Dallas residents will now elect new leaders in November instead of May.
The goal is to increase voter turnout and reduce the expenses for holding multiple elections.
Skyline of downtown Dallas, TX on a partly cloudy day. (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
What we know
In November 2024, residents voted overwhelmingly for the change. But the city council had to take the final step to make it happen.
On Wednesday, the council approved plans to hold mayoral and Dallas City Council elections in November, but on odd years.
Presidential and midterm elections happen on even years.
The Dallas elections will also include partisan issues like constitutional amendments.
What they’re saying
Dallas City Councilman Chad West said the move will save taxpayers nearly a half-million dollars.
“We know this change will improve our city for decades to come by increasing our voter turnout. Dallas currently leads the nation with the worst voter turnout of any major city. I’m confident with today’s vote we will turn that around,” he said.
However, State Rep. Rafael Anchia said Dallas still needs to do some work to improve voter turnout.
“This is not a silver bullet. We will go from abysmal turnout to just low turnout. So keep that in mind as you think of other creative ways to stimulate participation in the electorate,” he said.
While the vote was unanimous, some expressed concerns about lame duck council members passing a budget in September, just before a new council would be sworn in two months later.
The Source
The information in this story comes from Wednesday’s Dallas City Council meeting.