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Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks to reporters over the weekend about moving San Antonio\u2019s municipal elections. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\nMayor Gina Ortiz Jones speaks to reporters over the weekend about moving San Antonio\u2019s municipal elections. Credit: Michael Karlis<\/p>\n
Moving San Antonio\u2019s off-year municipal elections from May to November, which at first appeared to be a slam-dunk proposal from Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, got a surprising amount of pushback at a Wednesday City Council session. <\/p>\n
\u200bIndeed, the proposal has drawn endorsements from former mayors Henry Cisneros, Nelson Wolff, Phil Hardberger, Juli\u00e1n Castro and Ron Nirenberg.<\/p>\n
\u200bJones began the meeting by inviting Rice University political scientist Melissa Marschall to discuss research showing that shifting municipal elections to November increases voter turnout, saves money and draws low-income and younger voters who normally stay at home. <\/p>\n
\u200bDespite the testimony and endorsements by former city leaders, a majority of council members were either on the fence or expressed staunch opposition to the idea.<\/p>\n
\u200bDistrict 10 Councilman Marc Whyte said he opposes the move because San Antonio voters won\u2019t get a chance vote on it in a ballot initiative. When Dallas moved its municipal elections to November, voters had a say in the matter, he said.<\/p>\n
San Antonio is the only large city in Texas to not have unified elections in odd-year contests, and it also has among the lowest voter turnouts among Texas cities. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur and District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo questioned whether San Antonio\u2019s numerous, already underfunded school districts would be forced to foot the bill for their elections if they\u2019re still to occur in May.<\/p>\n
\u200bDistrict 7 Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito, who\u2019s been a vocal opponent of Jones and is rumored to be gearing up for a 2029 mayoral run, questioned the cost-saving figures offered by City Manager Erik Walsh.<\/p>\n
\u200bIn recent weeks, Jones has said that moving the city\u2019s off-year elections to November would save San Antonio $800,000 and $1 million per cycle. However, Walsh told council that those figures were more or less a guesstimate and not rooted in hard data.<\/p>\n
\u200b\u201cThe cost of the elections is administered and borne by the county elections office,\u201d Walsh told council. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a breakdown or details about what future [costs] are. We can show you what the past is, because the future is based on who all is on the ballot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bWalsh continued: \u201cThis isn\u2019t necessarily cost-saving. We\u2019re not reducing the budget or balancing the budget. Cost is a factor here, but it\u2019s more of a policy conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u200bOnly District 2\u2019s Councilman\u2019s Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, District 3\u2019s Phyllis Viagran and District 4\u2019s Edward Mungia said they were in full support of Jones\u2019 proposal.<\/p>\n
\u200bJones initially said she planned to add a vote on the matter to council\u2019s Dec. 18 agenda. However, the vote hasn\u2019t yet been scheduled as of press time.<\/p>\n
\u200bSan Antonio City Council only has until Dec. 31 to decide whether to move the elections before a window set by the Texas Legislature expires.<\/p>\n
\u200bStay tuned.<\/p>\n
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