The 2012 election season will likely be a disorienting one for Texas voters, and not just because of the possible deja vu of seeing another Texas governor running for president.
A bill signed by Gov. Rick Perry on Friday will mean noticeable revisions to the election process. From the perspective of voters, the biggest change may be that a host of cities and school districts move their elections next year from May to the November ballot.Senate Bill 100 adjusts several dates in the election calendar to bring Texas into compliance with federal law. Congress decided in 2009 that military and overseas voters should get 45 days to fill out a ballot. The only way to allow for that much time in next year's primary is pushing back the date of the primary or moving up the deadline for candidates to file for races. After some tense debate, state lawmakers opted to move up the filing deadline from January to December.While much of the debate in Austin has focused on how the measure will affect the presidential primary and other partisan races, many local entities will also face upheaval.The primary may be staying put in early March, but other changes in the calendar have set off a domino effect. Any runoff elections from the primary will now be held in late May. They are usually held in April. Election officials have said they won't be able to handle local May elections if they have to contend with a primary runoff around the same time."We are probably not going to be able to be in a position to offer voting equipment to cities or school districts in May elections in even-numbered years," Tarrant County Elections Administrator Steve Raborn said.In Tarrant County, many school districts and cities typically hold May elections in even-numbered years, including Arlington, Haltom City and Keller, which stagger their council terms so that only some seats are on the ballot each year.Raborn said local entities will have a few options.They could still hold their election next year in May with a private vendor. Otherwise, they will have to move their local election to the November ballot or plan to hold elections only in odd-numbered years.City officials plan to participate in a statewide conference call that the Texas Municipal League is holding next month to discuss the issue."After our conference call, we will schedule a meeting to discuss the options with the council," Keller City Manager Dan O'Leary said.In Arlington, officials expect to bring the issue up with the City Council, said Jennifer Wichmann, the city's assistant director for management resources.If council members decide to move elections to November in even-numbered years, the city would probably also move elections in odd-numbered years to November, she said."We try for consistency for our voters," Wichmann said.Many local voters may see a mix of partisan and nonpartisan races on their ballot next November. Though Houston and other areas have run their elections like that for years, it will be a new experience for many voters.Voters who are used to using the straight-party option on the ballot may not expect nonpartisan races, Raborn said.In order to make sure those races aren't overlooked, election officials may put the nonpartisan races first on the ballot, ahead of even the presidential race."We've discussed the possibility of putting those [nonpartisan] races at the top of the ballot above the straight-party races," Raborn said. "We think that might help address some confusion."Aman Batheja, 817-390-7695Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
