Monday Musings #43: Mayor Jones Proposes Moving City Elections to November

Mayor Gina Jones may have found an issue that will deliver a significant, much-needed win with her colleagues on City Council. The mayor wants to move city elections in odd-numbered years from May to November in an attempt to overcome dismal voter turnout. 

The move would save taxpayers an estimated $1 million per round of voting. With runoffs often required to settle the outcome of mayoral and council races, the savings would help the council overcome budget deficits. These days, every million dollars counts.

It’s not a new idea, but it’s a good one worth a robust debate. One impediment will be timing. Jones has proposed the move of city elections to odd-numbered years, just as a deadline looms for doing so in time for next year’s elections.

Barring unforeseen complications, I don’t see why the state deadline should pose a challenge. Council has already discussed the idea in executive session, and there will be a full staff briefing at Wednesday’s B Session. Jones has suggested a vote on her proposal could take place Dec. 18.

Left to the traditional May cycle, the next city election will probably be just like the previous ones, where most registered voters do not bother to vote. Just over 8% voted in the first round of voting in May, and even a very partisan runoff between Jones, a Democrat, and former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos, a Republican, only drew a 17% turnout. That first round turnout was made worse by Fiesta. Would any other city schedule an election amid its biggest annual party?

The lack of public participation in city races is, or should be, embarrassing. Some council members say the short time period to consider the issue will not allow them to hear from their constituents. The overwhelming majority of their constituents are not voting now, so why give them a say on this council vote? This seems like a good time to move fast and break things.

There are concerns among some that moving the nonpartisan city elections to a November ballot dominated by partisan contests will somehow taint the outcome. We’ve long passed the point of pretending our local elections are truly nonpartisan.

The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed political action committees and unlimited outside money to play an outsized role in determining the outcome of local races, an unfortunate turn of events by a highly partisan court majority that history is unlikely to treat kindly. Voters saw millions of dollars from outside groups deployed by both Jones and Pablos. It makes the limits of $1,000 individual and corporate contributions to mayoral candidates, and $500 limits for council races, something of a joke. We might as well lift the limits for everyone, and we should stop pretending that candidates don’t have political party alliances and loyalties, even if the election remains unofficially nonpartisan.

Yes, big money and particularly dark money are a big turn-off for many voters. Big donors with self-serving agendas now have a greater voice in selecting our leaders than engaged citizens. Bearing a highly unlikely high court reversal on the role of big money in elections and the right of politicians to engage in unapologetic gerrymandering, voter turnout is likely to decline even more if changes are not made. Most of the necessary reforms are beyond the reach of city officials. When San Antonio holds its municipal elections is something local officials can still decide.

Jones is not the first mayor to recommend the change from May to November voting in odd-numbered years. Mayor Ron Nirenberg proposed the change multiple times in his long tenure at City Hall, although it could not be done in his time because the idea lacked legislative support. It’s good to see Jones resurface an idea that was proposed prior to her term in office, given her strange opposition to supporting other initiatives proposed before her return to San Antonio and run for office.

The Texas legislature passed a bill last session enabling the changes to municipal elections. Other Texas cities have already made the move. Turnout in odd-year November elections is nothing to brag about, either, but reducing the number and cost of elections and syncing up local politics with state and county politics offers up savings and could attract more registered voters who right now ignore May elections.

Finally, Jones needs a win. Succeeding in winning a council majority could prove to be a reset for her as we move into 2026 and important conversations about moving from the non-binding term sheet with the Spurs to negotiating a formal agreement to build the new arena and surrounding developments, as well as the 2027 bond. 

Congratulations to SA Sports

Count me among those applauding the running Sunday of the inaugural San Antonio Marathon, half-marathon and Friday evening’s 5K event. The cool and cloudy weather was ideal for Sunday’s long runs, and to this former marathoner, it appeared that every one of the predicted 18,000 runners were participating this year. Crowds cheering runners on were robust as they lined downtown streets, especially along the last mile and at the Torch of Friendship finish line. Even early morning crowds in King William watching runners as they ran the opening miles of the new course were strong.

It’s a nice transition from the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. Credit to former city manager and runner Sheryl Scully for bringing the Rock ‘n Roll here in 2008 and professionalizing San Antonio's weak marathon, but the for-profit organization now looks like every other business purchased by private equity.  SA Sports has managed sporting events in our city for more than 35 years, which collectively have added up to billions of dollars in economic activity. What they do, they do well. Add the annual marathon to their portfolio now. It’s enough to make me wish my aging knees would give me one more chance.