Early voting ends today for the State House District 72 Special Election. The final vote takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 13. In this case, Gov. Rick Scott required a special election because Alex Miller, the former state representative, resigned her position before her term ended. There is a valid time requirement to do so, even though without a doubt the turnout in Tuesday’s vote will be extremely low. As is the case with all special elections, turnout it abysmally low. It is difficult enough for working families to take time off work for things like doctor’s appointments, school obligations and children’s extracurricular activities. Leaving the house early or asking for additional time off to go vote in an election that is normally not very well promoted and only has one thing on the ballot is just not very convenient.

You may scowl at that statement and claim that people who don’t prioritize voting are abdicating their civic rights and duties but let’s be honest. The facts are clear. Voter turnout in special elections is consistently less than 25 percent. Voter turnout in general elections is usually higher than 70 percent. Additionally, special elections cost municipalities upwards of $100,000. That is why it is so perplexing that if not absolutely necessary, such as the case of the House District 72 election, why any city would continue to hold its elections this way. And yet it is exactly what the City of Sarasota has been doing for years. It is time to stop.

That is the mission of a recently formed local group comprised of volunteers, business owners and organizations in a campaign called “Decide the Date.” It is their goal to address the expensive and low voter turnout in March city elections. Since the city commission has repeatedly refused to allow voters to decide the date of city elections in a referendum, a petition process is necessary. This measure is just to put the issue on the ballot so voters can decide if they want to change the election day. The only way to get this changed is to ask city dwellers that are registered to vote to sign a petition to get the measure on the ballot.

Taking into consideration all factors that affect voter turnout, timing, as in life, is everything. Decide the Date is an effort to allow voters in the City of Sarasota to decide if they would like to move the city elections to the same date as regularly scheduled elections, which would coincide with when these voters are already voting on other issues and offices, including the County Commission, School Board, State Representative, etc.

Additionally, moving the elections to November would increase voter turnout among minorities and younger voters, saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. All you need to do for a case study on this matter is look to our neighbors in the north—the city of Bradenton. After moving its elections from odd number years to even number years in 2010, turnout increased from 14 to 71 percent in 2012, 53 percent in 2014 and 66 percent in 2016. I urge you to vote this week in the necessary special election and then sign the petition for the unnecessary ones in the city of Sarasota. Visit DecideTheDate.com for details. 

Mary Dougherty is executive director of the Gulf Coast Builder’s Exchange.