SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council on Wednesday will debate whether to move its city council elections from May to November in odd-numbered years.
The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. and it will be livestreamed in this article. Delays are possible; if there’s no livestream available, check back at a later time.
The charge to move the election date is being led by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who learned about the possibility after reading in November about Dallas adjusting its election cycle. Jones said making a similar change could save San Antonio roughly $1 million and help drive higher voter turnout.
With Dallas and Houston now holding elections in November of odd-numbered years and Austin holding them in November of even-numbered years, Jones said San Antonio is the last big city in Texas to hold its elections in May.
She is supported by a number of local groups and her predecessor, Ron Nirenberg, but it’s not yet clear where the majority of the city council stand on the idea.
They will have to make a decision quickly, though. The state Legislature-created window to shift the election date closes at the end of the year.
With the notable exception of this year, when the question of whether to help fund a new Spurs arena drove people to the polls, odd-year November elections are not well-attended either.
November elections in even-numbered years have high-profile races that push people to the polls, like the presidential, gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races. But the November ballot in odd-numbered years is dominated by state constitutional amendments, smaller cities and school districts.
The mayor has attributed an estimate of $800,000 to $1 million in potential savings to City Manager Erik Walsh, though city staff did not confirm the number.
The council is scheduled to discuss the possibility of moving the elections during a discussion-only meeting on Wednesday. A vote has not yet been scheduled.
WATCH BELOW: San Antonio debates shifting election date; could it drive higher turnout?
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