Miami learned a lesson with election changes. Now, do the right thing, commission | Opinion

Miami is finally about to do the right thing and let voters — not elected officials — decide if the city should move its election to even-numbered years to better align with national elections, when turnout is higher.

At least, we think that’s what will happen. The commission is set to meet Friday to talk about putting the issue on the Nov. 5 ballot. Now they just have to actually do it.

Our skepticism was earned. Originally, commissioners did the opposite, taking the decision out of the hands of voters in a high-handed move that was bound to backfire. In June, they voted 3-2 to pass an ordinance that moved the November 2025 election to 2026, effectively giving the city’s current elected officials an extra year in office without voters’ consent. That included an extra year for Mayor Francis Suarez and Commissioner Joe Carollo, who were both set to leave office at the end of the year because they were term-limited.

Carollo voted against the change. Suarez, the Miami Herald reported, was lobbying behind the scenes for the plan to skip the election.

The vote caused an uproar in Miami and embarrassing national headlines: “Miami city officials cancelled an election. Outraged voters call it a power grab,” wrote The Guardian. It took a lawsuit by a mayoral candidate, Emilio González, months of legal wrangling and some adverse court rulings before the city saw the light.

On Tuesday, after yet another ruling against the city — this time by Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal — Suarez and Commissioner Damian Pardo, who had pushed for the election date change that triggered the lawsuit, called for the Friday meeting to discuss putting the question to voters.

That’s the right move, even at this late date. (The election is two months away.) While the Herald Editorial Board advocated for moving the election to even-numbered years to improve turnout — Miami surely needs more engaged voters when choosing its leaders — the commission disenfranchised the electorate by making the decision without asking the people. Elected officials shouldn’t be deciding to award themselves an extra year in office, no matter how good the reason may sound. Miami commissioners wasted time and taxpayer money fighting for a decision that should never have been made.

The notice announcing the special city commission meeting says it’s being held to discuss a proposed charter amendment that would change the election for mayor and city commissioners “to be held on even-numbered years concurrent with any statewide or countywide election” and it would “adjust the corresponding terms of office of current and future elected officials to coincide with the election date change.”

Sounds good but Pardo told the Miami Herald that the proposed charter amendment wouldn’t go into effect until 2032. So in 2027, when Pardo and Commissioners Miguel Angel Gabela and Ralph Rosado are up for reelection, the winners would serve a five-year term in order to finally move the election to even-numbered years.

That’s not ideal, though we understand that, to move the elections, the city has to either cut or expand elected officials’ terms. But this time, voters would be able to decide if they want their commissioners to spend five years in office. That’s better than having an extra year in office crammed down voters’ necks.

Next, Miami should consider expanding the number of seats on the commission to seven or nine to improve representation and to add more voices to the dais. A five-member body is too small for South Florida’s largest municipality, as we have argued several times.

Miami’s dysfunction on the dais is well known. The infighting and open hostility and bullying we see from the people who are supposed to be our leaders is off-putting and discouraging. It creates a disincentive for voters to engage with their government. Moving elections to years when move voters will participate fixes at least some portion of the problem. That’s important.

We hope Miami commissioners can put aside their own concerns and grudges to vote for a clean charter amendment and, finally, let the people decide.