House amends Senate city elections bill to shorten time for municipalities to change their voting dates
Apr. 4—MORGANTOWN — The House of Delegates on Friday adopted an amendment to the Senate's bill to align municipal election dates with state dates — an amendment that will likely be rejected when the bill returns to the Senate.
The bill is SB 50, to require municipalities to align their local elections with state primary and general elections by 2032.
Delegate Geno Chiarelli, R-Monongalia, offered the amendment to change the year to 2028.
Several delegates spoke in opposition. Delegate Larry Kump, R-Berkeley, said that when he moved from Maryland to West Virginia in 1999, he asked people, "Why do we have these goofy election dates that aren't on regular election dates ?"
They told him that came from the good-old-boy system to minimize turnout and get the good old boys elected, he said.
Kump said he supports the bill but not the amendment. "Let's not mess with it any further. It'll be done and we won't have any more of these goofy elections."
Judiciary chair JB Akers, R-Kanawha, said he hadn't talked with the Senate about the reason for the late date.
But Delegate Andy Shamblin, also R-Kanawha, said it had to do with municipal charters: Many municipalities will have to put a charter amendment to comply with the law on their 2028 ballot. So the amendment would harm the intent of the bill.
And Delegate Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, added that the 2030 census also likely plays a role in the 2032 date — because districts will get redrawn and municipal ward and precinct boundaries will change.
Shamblin and Linville were right. In Senate discussion, it was said that cities will need time to pass a charter amendment, and counties will need to redraw precincts that cross city boundaries.
That led to the date changing from July 1, 2026 in the introduced bill to July 1, 2030 in committee. Then on the Senate floor on Feb. 28, Sen. Ryan Weld offered an amendment to further extend the date to July 1, 2032, to account for post-census redistricting.
Not knowing any of that Senate background, Chiarelli's amendment found supporters. Delegate Jarred Cannon, R-Putnam, stated his belief that state law would preempt any city charter.
And Chiarelli pointed out his hometown's reluctance to put election dates in the hand of the voters. Last October, Morgantown City Council voted against giving the choice of election dates to city voters. An ordinance to place that proposed charter change on the city's April 29 ballot failed on first reading.
Chiarelli noted the low turnout percentage in Morgantown's previous three city elections, and said 2028 allows plenty of time for municipalities to make the needed changes.
"I have full faith in them, " he said. "I think they'll be able to make the jump with very little issue."
His amendment was adopted on a divided voice vote — no one demanded a roll call vote — and will be on third reading for passage on Monday. Then it will return to the Senate where the amendment will undergo scrutiny.
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