Pleasantville voters are deciding today whether to move local elections from March to November. The change would align village elections with state and federal election dates.
Supporters argue that moving the elections would increase voter turnout and civic engagement. “I just want the elections moved to November, because I feel more people will come out to vote,” said Francesca Hagadus, a former candidate for the Pleasantville Board of Trustees and current Vice Chair of the Mount Pleasant Democratic Committee.
Hagadus, who led the effort to put the referendum on the ballot, also said moving the election would save money.
Opponents to the referendum include Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer. He said he thinks moving the election would make it more partisan. “The greatest gift of Pleasantville politics has been that it isn’t in the grip of the partisan gridlock that exists everywhere else,” Scherer said.
Traditionally, candidates for the Village Board of Trustees have not run as Democrats or Republicans. Scherer said that, after Sleepy Hollow moved its local elections to November, candidates there began aligning with the major parties and local issues became overshadowed by national politics.
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