Off-date elections

Ballotpedia defines off-date elections as elections that are held on a date other than the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Off-date elections -- including those held in even-numbered years -- are off-cycle elections since they are held on a date other than Federal elections in November of even-numbered years.

HIGHLIGHTS

Off-cycle elections, including off-date elections, are held on a date other than Tuesday after the First Monday in November during even-numbered years at the same time as federal elections.

Voter turnout for off-cycle elections, including off-date elections, is lower than voter turnout for elections held on-cycle.

Fourteen states mostly hold on-cycle school board elections. Twenty-four states mostly hold off-cycle school board elections. In 11 states, state law does not determine specific school board election dates, or school board elections are held annually.

In this article you will find:

• The effects of off-cycle vs. on-cycle elections on voter turnout
• A summary of the use of on-cycle and off-cycle elections across the country in statewide races and for school board elections

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Off-cycle and on-cycle elections in the U.S.

Statewide election dates

Off-cycle statewide election dates:

Five states hold off-year state elections for governor and other executive offices. Four of those states also hold off-year state legislative elections.

• Kentucky - executive offices
• Louisiana - executive and legislative offices
• Mississippi - executive and legislative offices
• New Jersey - executive and legislative offices
• Virginia - executive and legislative offices

On-cycle statewide election states:

The remaining 45 states hold on-cycle elections for state offices.

School board election dates

Across the country, there are 13,187 public school districts governed by a total of 83,183 school board members. They are elected directly by voters except for a small handful of exceptions who are appointed.

The analysis below is based on state laws governing school board elections and some researched common practices. In some states, the state law mandates a specific date. In others, the laws allow districts to choose their own election date from a range or a list of allowed dates or through charter provisions.

• 25 states have school board elections that are mostly held off cycle from federal elections. This includes both off-year and off-date elections.
  • 10 of those states have school board elections that are mostly or at least commonly held on election dates in November of odd-numbered years.
  • 16 of those states have school board elections mostly or at least commonly held on election dates that are not in November.
• 14 states have school board elections that are mostly held on cycle with federal elections in November of even-numbered years.
• 9 states either do not have state laws or overwhelmingly common practices that determine a specific school board election date or have varying school board election dates.
• Hawaii has a single, appointed school board.

The effects of election timing on turnout

Whether an election is held off cycle or on cycle is by far the biggest factor in determining levels of voter turnout. The degree to which election timing affects voter turnout varies by state and by jurisdiction.

Studies comparing turnout for local off-cycle elections to voter turnout in on-cycle elections universally show significantly lower turnout in off-cycle elections. The results vary depending on the state; the types of local elections; whether the studies compare off-cycle elections to presidential cycles, midterm cycles, statewide elections in odd years, or some combination; and a variety of other factors. Looking at the extremes, 66.8% of voting-age citizens turned out for the 2020 presidential election, the highest voter turnout in the last two decades. While, according to Zoltan L. Hajnal, a professor of political science at the University of California San Diego, "Nationwide, only 27 percent of eligible voters vote in the typical municipal election."

See also

School board election rules:

• Rules governing school board election dates and timing
• Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board election coverage:

• School board elections by state
• School board elections by year
• School board recall elections

Terms and context:

• On-cycle elections
• Off-cycle elections
• Partisan elections
• Nonpartisan elections