MUNCIE, Ind. — On Friday August 22, Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales appeared in Muncie to discuss information about an upcoming decision on whether to change the year of municipal elections from 2027 to 2028, putting mayoral and city council races in line with the presidential election of the same year.

Earlier this year Senate Bill 355 in Indiana proposed the same change, while also allowing towns of more than 10,000 in population to pass their own resolutions to opt out of the change, however the bill has not made any additional progress to move forward. The public meeting on Friday was held to hear both support opposition, as required by House Enrolled Act 1633.

Indiana had previously passed a similar “skip election” law that took effect between 1933 and 1941. The decision pushed 102 municipal elections taking place in 1933 to the following year, putting it in line with Indiana’s midterm elections. According to historian George Blake, the decision gave then-Governor Paul V. McNutt additional power over patronage and was intended to give elected officials in his party an additional year. The skip election law similar to Friday’s presentation also cited finances as a reason for changing years.

Local resident Charles Taylor, Chair of Muncie’s Ethics Commission, spoke in opposition to the idea, telling the speakers his worry that city elections would lose their ability to focus on local issues instead of state or national elections. He went on to say atmosphere of aligning city races with the presidential election would make it difficult, as well as an issue with straight ticket voters “reducing these important races to an after thought.” 

The three members of the audience who supported the idea included Beth Davis, Republican County Clerk of Wells County, who said she didn’t believe that it would have an impact on local races.