I spoke before Charlottesville City Council this evening, as I have at each of the past three meetings [1, 2, 3]. Tonight the topics were the dearth of public surfaces and the need to move our election date.
Poster Boards
Our nation has a long and proud history of the display and distribution of handbills and posters. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, handbills were the primary method of promotion by average citizens, permitting cheap and easy advertising and political expression. In fact, handbills were essential to the coordination of efforts among Americans in the 1770s to rise up and revolt against the British. It was handbills that the framers of the Constitution very much had in mind when they provided us with freedom of the press.
Unfortunately, there is no sign of this in Charlottesville. In the past decade, the number of public spaces for the posting of handbills has dropped dramatically, as many a professional poster-hanger has lamented. Just on the Downtown Mall, we’ve gone from having three kiosks to just one. Those looking to promote an event or an interest are left to inquire within shops to gain permission to put posters within the shop windows, permission that is often denied. This leaves only surfaces like walls, windows of empty storefronts and telephone poles, all of which are forbidden by law. I know many business owners who have been frustrated to arrive at work in the morning to find posters stuck to their windows.
I ask that the city provide public surfaces to permit this American tradition to carry on in a legal fashion. It is a cheap and simple way to allow free expression. The cost of doing so should be negligible – just the price of a few dozen cork boards and a handful of screws…maybe a few thousand dollars for kiosks, if you want to get fancy.
Move Council Elections
Our elections must be moved from May to November. You first took up this issue in November 19th of 2001, concluding that Council should look into moving them. It has been brought up occasionally ever since, but never to any resolution. It’s time to do something about it.
In the last City Council election, we had an absolutely appalling 22% turn out. That’s less than half of what we get during a general election.
Delegate Mitch Van Yahres successfully introduced a bill during the 2002 General Assembly session that permits localities to change elections to November. Richmond was one of the first cities to take advantage of this, and the change was reportedly a rousing success. Apparently, voters feel energized and more aware of political matters when November rolls around, because that is the primary thrust of local and national media coverage during that time.
As far back as September of 2001, The Electoral Board beseeched Council to make the change, having voted unanimously in support of doing so. The savings of time and money would be tremendous. In fact, not only would there not be a cost affiliated with moving elections to November, but, according the Voter Registrar’s office, we would save $29,000 each election year.
The only reason that I’ve heard for holding elections in May is that only the dedicated, informed voters will vote then, and so there’s a more informed electorate. That’s hogwash. If we’re so determined to ensure that less educated voters don’t take part in the political process, perhaps we could institute a reading test or a poll tax. How far are we willing to go to ensure that the average Charlottesville citizen will not vote in City Council elections?
It’s time to move Council elections to the same odd-numbered years that we use to elect our Constitutional officers and our state representatives.
Thank you very much for your time. I’ll be back with ideas numbers nine and ten at the next meeting.