Residents propose moving local elections to November

VILLAGE OF BALDWINSVILLE – A multipartisan coalition of village of Baldwinsville residents have submitted a letter to the Baldwinsville mayor and Board of Trustees asking the officials to add a question to the March 2024 ballot allowing Baldwinsville residents to vote on moving village elections from March to November. The move would save the village of Baldwinsville about $2,000 per election and would guarantee a larger voter turnout.
The Baldwinsville Board of Trustees recently voted to have the Onondaga County Board of Election (BOE) administer village elections. The village will reimburse BOE $1800 to $2000 each year for that service. By moving the village election to November when BOE already manages the election as a part of its regular duties, the village will not incur the additional cost.
Historically, voter turnout for March village elections has been very low and local governance is decided by a handful of voters. Since 2016, voter turnout for village elections has been less than 8% of eligible voters:
· 2023 – 59 voters – 1% turnout
· 2022 – 271 voters – 5% turnout
· 2020 – 407 voters – 7% turnout – Election held in September due to Covid
· 2019 – 56 voters – 1% turnout
· 2018 – 271 voters – 5% turnout
· 2016 – 90 voters – 2% turnout
Thirty village residents from both Lysander and Van Buren have signed the attached letter. Twenty-seven residents represent the Democratic, Republican and Independence parties and three residents are unaffiliated with a political party.
The letter will be formally presented at the Nov. 16 village board meeting during the citizens’ comments portion on the agenda. The residents are asking the board to vote on this measure before the end of 2023. If the board does not approve the measure, village residents will pass petitions for a mandatory referendum to appear on the March ballot.