Voters smell mischief in Miami's attempt to move elections. So do we Opinion
Give Miami credit. The city is trying to address some of the rampant dysfunction and low community participation in local government by considering lifetime term limits for elected officials and switching elections to even-numbered years to better align with national elections, when voter turnout is higher.
Great. But moving city elections from November 2025 to November 2026 means extending the terms of the current commission by a year. Commissioner Damian Pardo is sponsoring a proposal to do just that. A vote is set for Tuesday.
Moving the elections back a year doesn’t sit right with a lot of people, including us, because it would essentially disenfranchise voters, who wouldn’t get to decide if their commissioners should get an extra year in office. It would be more reasonable to find a way to shorten their terms instead, which would have the added benefit of helping City Hall rebuild trust with constituents.
To further complicate matters, on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier weighed in. He said the commission cannot legally push back the election without a voter referendum.
https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article308487490.html#storylink=cpy