Municipal elections; shifting elections to November. (SB1157)
Introduced By
Sen. Lionell Spruill (D-Chesapeake) with support from 7 copatrons, whose average partisan position is:
Those copatrons are Del. Lamont Bagby (D-Richmond), Del. Kelly Fowler (D-Virginia Beach), Del. Cliff Hayes (D-Chesapeake), Del. Clinton Jenkins (D-Suffolk), Del. Don Scott (D-Portsmouth), Del. Shelly Simonds (D-Newport News), Del. Rip Sullivan (D-Arlington)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✓ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Shifting municipal elections to November. Shifts all municipal elections for city and town council and school board from May to November, beginning with elections held after January 1, 2022. Read the Bill »
Status
03/12/2021: signed by governor
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/07/2021 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/13/21 21100131D |
| 01/07/2021 | Referred to Committee on Local Government |
| 01/15/2021 | Impact statement from DPB (SB1157) |
| 01/18/2021 | Reported from Local Government (12-Y 3-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/19/2021 | Constitutional reading dispensed (38-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/20/2021 | Amendment by Senator Petersen withdrawn |
| 01/20/2021 | Read second time and engrossed |
| 01/20/2021 | Impact statement from DHCD/CLG (SB1157) |
| 01/21/2021 | Read third time and passed Senate (19-Y 19-N) (see vote tally) |
| 01/21/2021 | Chair votes Yea |
| 02/02/2021 | Placed on Calendar |
| 02/02/2021 | Read first time |
| 02/02/2021 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 02/08/2021 | Continued to Special Session 1 in Privileges and Elections |
| 02/10/2021 | Reported from Privileges and Elections (13-Y 9-N) (see vote tally) |
| 02/12/2021 | Read second time |
| 02/15/2021 | Read third time |
| 02/15/2021 | Passed House (50-Y 44-N 1-A) |
| 02/15/2021 | VOTE: Passage (50-Y 44-N 1-A) (see vote tally) |
| 02/17/2021 | Enrolled |
| 02/17/2021 | Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB1157ER) |
| 02/17/2021 | Impact statement from DPB (SB1157ER) |
| 02/17/2021 | Signed by President |
| 02/18/2021 | Signed by Speaker |
| 02/22/2021 | Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on February 22, 2021 |
| 02/22/2021 | G Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., March 31, 2021 |
| 03/12/2021 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 103 (effective 7/1/21) |
| 03/12/2021 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0103) |
Comments
High handed, High horse idea by Democratic partisan ideologues:
see story https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/articles/bill-heading-to-governor-would-end-may-elections-in-scottsville/
We should absolutely move local elections to November.
Having elections away from the date that most people expect elections to take place has allowed local politicians to play games with public knowledge and subvert the will of the people. If most people aren't paying attention to an election that takes place in the spring, all a local politician has to do is tell the most ardent supporters about their election while not pushing voting for the general public. The end result is that a few ideologues take control of a city even when the majority do not approve of their policies.
Absolutely move elections to November.
Moving local elections to November is a dumb idea that will only serve to drown out local issues with overwhelming state and national issues. They are not the same.
Having run for local office myself, I know how important it is for the comparatively mundane local issues to have their own spotlight for local people to focus on them. Our local elections are non-partisan, and that will be completely nullified if they are held simultaneously with the highly partisan state and national elections.
Saving money isn't worth the negative effects that November local elections would cause. The whole idea smacks of breaking something that currently works.