Manchester Voters Approve Municipal Election Date Change

Manchester residents will no longer vote in May now that a referendum asking if municipal elections should be moved to November has been approved. 

With all votes tallied, 63 percent of Manchester voters supported to  from May to November, according to data from municipal clerk Sabina Skibo.

Those who voted in favor of the change came in at 5,831, while 3,395 opposed the move. 

A long-debated issue, those who favor the change say that it will save the township $50,000 and get more residents to vote for local leaders since turnout is generally higher for general elections. Mayor Michael Fressola  that the amount is closer to $40,000, a cost that "does not translate into a lot of money per household."

Those opposed fear that the change could usher in the return of , something Manchester residents voted to excise 20 years ago following the theft of millions of township dollars by Joe Portash and other administrators.

The terms of elected municipal officials would be extended six months to bring them in line with a November vote. The township is bound to hold its municipal elections in November for 10 years before the possibility of switching back to a May vote can be approved. 

Manchester residents once before had the opportunity to decide on moving municipal elections when in 1999 voters defeated a similar referendum.