November election good for Millerton

Millerton Mayor John Scutieri wants to move the village’s elections from the third Tuesday in March to the first Tuesday in November.

Scutieri has some valid reasons to make the change, among them:

• People forget to vote in off-season elections and as a result voter participation is historically very low in the spring.

• When new village trustees take office in December, they fall into the middle of the budget process, which is usually completely foreign to them. The result is new trustees barely participate in developing the village’s fiscal plan.

• The village has to cover costs when it runs its own elections; if the village joins the general Election Day schedule, the county will cover those costs.

• Village voters will be on the same schedule as their counterparts in the town, which makes for an easier process when addressing town-wide issues and referendums.

Best of all, according to the Dutchess County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner Fran Knapp, is that the act of changing the schedule from a spring election to a fall election is quite simple.

“It’s not difficult at all,� she said. In fact, Millbrook and Pawling have already done so. “From the elections management perspective, yes, it’s a great idea. It doesn’t increase the cost, so they’re saving money for the taxpayer, and most of the time people are familiar with the general election and not as aware of what’s going on in March, so I think it’s a benefit to the voters as well.�

We agree. It’s a sound idea that will benefit registered voters in Millerton and the general populace throughout the town of North East, while making for a more unified Election Day. The idea may not be new, but kudos to Scutieri for raising it now, in time for the 2010 elections, to make for a seamless and sensible transition come November. If all goes according to plan, this is one action that should garner favor from all involved. Certainly the idea has this newspaper’s vote of support. Let’s hope the necessary approval process moves along without a glitch.

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