DUMFRIES — Voters in Dumfries will now head to the polls to elect Town Council members in November.
The Dumfries Town Council moved its municipal elections from May to the first Tuesday in November during its November 20 meeting, the first in the new town hall on Main Street. The town becomes the only one of the four in Prince William County, to include Haymarket, Occoquan, and Quantico, to hold municipal elections in November.
The council discussed the decision and held a public hearing prior to the vote.
Councilman Charles Brewer, the lone vote against moving elections to the fall, said that moving the election to November would increase terms of current councilmembers to 18 months when the current budget was only passed for 12 months. Brewer said he was concerned over the ramifications of this change.
Vice Mayor Monae Nickerson said that the upcoming year would be the only time terms would be extended, and the budget affected.
Councilwoman Melva Willis suggested changing the fiscal year to match the calendar year, should elections be moved to November. Willis said newly elected officials would be inheriting a budget when taking office, so changing the fiscal year could address this.
Mayor Derrick Wood said that was unessecary.
“Anyone stepping into a municipal position is inheriting a budget when they walk into it,” said Wood.
After the council members discussed the election change, they opened up the meeting to the public.
The former town mayor, Nancy West approached the council with her petition on this proposed election move.
“I am opposed to moving the election to November. It diminishes the importance of town elections. Town elections are unique. Dumfries town elections are nonpartisan. Last May, the elections were the most partisan I’ve seen in my 50 years living in Dumfries. Moving the election would just make it more partisan. We do not need this. We do not want this,” said West.
Prince William NAACP President, Reverend Cozy Bailey expressed his position on the proposed election change. Bailey supports the change to move the elections and believes it will answer the challenge of voter suppression.
“It will end what has been an unintentional suppression of voters,” he said.
Keith Brown, a Dumfries resident said, “It is difficult for citizens to vote in May. Perhaps the time and season for May elections have come and gone. We have to learn to move forward if we are to succeed.”
Mayor Wood said moving the election would increase voter turnout.
“People are conditioned to vote in November. Schools don’t even close for elections in May. We want to go with what is naturally easy for constituents,” he said.
Prince William County Board Elections would pick up any additional cost of the date change, added Wood. The town currently pays to have a separate election in May.
Wood said the council has authority to change the date through resolution; it is written in the charter.
“Any charter changes must be approved by the General Assembly. Ultimately, it is on the council to make this decision,” says Wood.
Councilwoman Cydny Neville made the motion to move Dumfries elections from May to November.
