• The bill requires the governing body of a municipality to select a specified date in either March (Third Tuesday) or November (First Tuesday after the First Monday) for holding its election, and requires a process for cities that have runoff elections. 

• The bill obviously impacts nearly 150 municipalities currently holding elections on dates other than those mandated by this bill, but the bill will affect numerous others, too.  

• The optimal time and date for a municipal election will vary according to each community needs and preferences. 
• It is false to assume that high voter turnout in November elections translates into increased voter participation on municipal ballot issues in that same election.
• Consolidating municipal elections into two “seasons” will make it difficult for municipal candidates to compete for voter attention in saturated media markets and other venues.
• For over 40% of cities that provide for runoff elections, this bill will force their general elections to occur in January and August. This means that municipal campaigns will be in full swing over a period of time when voters are highly distracted or absent.  
• Local citizens should have the right to decide for themselves when they want to have municipal elections.  This is a purely local decision that should stay local.