Editor’s note: This address was presented to Seaford’s mayor and City Council on Dec. 13.
Last April 16 in Seaford, only 12% (about 600 out of about 5,000) of eligible voters turned out in the municipal elections. What a shame!
While there may be many possible reasons for a poor turnout, consider: What do this past April 16 of 2022 and April 19 of 2025 have in common?
Both were/are scheduled Seaford election days, and both occur in the middle of the three-day Easter holidays.
Now, what do April 19 of 2025 and April 15 of 2028 have in common? Both are scheduled Seaford election days and will occur in the middle of the three-day Easter holidays.
Any guesses as to what April 19 of 2025, April 15 of 2028 and April 20 of 2030 have in common? You bet your life. All are scheduled Seaford election days, and all will occur in the middle of the three-day Easter holidays.
Seaford has scheduled elections for three of six years in the last part of the 2020s during the weekend of perhaps the most important of all Christian holidays.
While I am not religious in the traditional sense, I am a strong believer that other people’s beliefs/traditions/practices deserve respect. In a largely conservative and majority Christian community, scheduling municipal elections during Easter holidays is wholly inappropriate, especially with potential to negatively impact voter turnout.
As elected representatives of the people of Seaford, mayor and City Council should show respect for at least part of the community’s beliefs by permanently moving the scheduled municipal elections to the November general election date to eliminate further conflicts with Easter and/or other important holidays.
Dan Cannon
Seaford
