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YouTubeShould Duval County Maintain “Independent” Spring Elections?
Abel Harding
Duval County Supervisor of Election Jerry Holland is using the city's current budget crisis to call for the elimination of the city's spring elections. Citing a $3 million price tag, Holland said the city no longer has "the luxury to hold our local Jacksonville elections months after the fall elections." Those "independent" elections have long been a source of contention among local officials, many of whom dream of a smoother transition between local and state office. Legislation has been introduced on a regular basis to change Duval's election date to coincide with state elections, but the movement has never caught on. With an increasingly compressed city budget; however, this may just be year the idea garners serious consideration.
In the 2006 state elections, voters had six state candidates (Governor, Attorney General, CFO, Agricultural Commissioner, State Senator and State Representative) and two federal candidates (US Senate and US House) on the ballot. Those eight offices in contention were followed by eight judicial retention questions, a soil and water committee race and six state constitutional amendments. Jacksonville voters also voted on a charter referrendum and a Cecil Field referendum, while Jacksonville Beach voters also elected a City Council member and Atlantic Beach voters decided on a charter amendment. In all, it was possible for a 2006 voter to face twenty-six questions on a ballot.
A voter in a city election is typically faced with a ballot that includes Duval County's five constitutional officers, the five at-large seats on the Jacksonville City Council and one district Council race.
If the 2006 state elections and 2007 spring election would have been combined, voters could have faced a ballot crammed with thirty-seven questions. (That is assuming that all of Duval's constitutional officers had faced a challenger.)
While opponents of spring elections point to low voter turnout and cost as reasons for abandoning "independent" elections, supporters argue that a crowded ballot would make any local focus difficult. Candidates would struggle to raise money and voter attention in a competition with candidates running for state and federal office.
In truth, a $3 million price tag is somewhat misleading. While it may have afforded Elections Supervisor Jerry Holland a few headlines, the reality is that any "savings" achieved from an election date change would not be realized this year. Additionally, the elections are held every four years, meaning that the "cost" of holding them shouldn't be viewed as a lump sum, but rather as an average cost over that period.
While the dates may not line up all that conventiently for elected officers looking to jump from one office to the other, $750,000 per year is rather reasonable price to pay for an election solely focused on local leadership.
