A discussion about when and how to hold municipal elections is highlighted by the issue of voter turnout.

Legislators who mandated municipalities change from spring council elections to consolidate with fall county, state and fall races pointed to increased voter turnout as a major reason for the change.

Numbers provided the Fountain Hills Town Council by staff relative to changing the council elections from spring to fall do not necessarily bear that out.

Town Clerk Bev Bender provided the numbers dating back to 2008. That was a “ground” election in which voters turned out at the polls on Election Day.

The turnout for the March primary in 2008 was 39.55 percent. The May general election runoff brought out 39.33 percent.

In 2010 the March primary had five candidates for the three seats with all incumbents running. Incumbent Mayor Jay Schlum was running unopposed. The turnout was 28.24 percent.

While this was defined as a ground election, the results did reflect the growing trend that led the council to consider a change to all-mail ballots.

Of the ballots cast in that election, 73 percent were mailed in early ballots.

The May election in 2010 had a 49.55 percent turnout, with that ballot including a statewide question related to a 1 percent sales tax increase. The council race was settled in March so there were no run-off candidates.

The 2012 March primary was the town’s first all-mail council election, which did include a recall effort. There was a 38.95 percent turnout, which is within 1 percent of the 2010 primary.

The 2012 May general election had a 33.71 percent turnout. There was a council runoff with three candidates vying for two seats. This turnout is somewhat lower than the previous May elections going back a few years.

The August 2014 election was the first fall ballot for Town Council, and it was the last all-mail election before the town will return to the previous ground format.

There was a 37.77 percent turnout for that election, which had an uncontested race for mayor and there were four candidates seeking the three council seats. Only one was an incumbent.

That primary election also had races for state and county offices.

There were two other special elections during this time frame from 2008 through 2014. In November 2011 and again in November 2013 the town had the proposed bonds to fund reconstruction of Saguaro Boulevard. The 2011 election, in which the $30 million bond that included funding for long-term maintenance, was defeated, the turnout was 41.03 percent.

In 2013 when the bond included only $8 million for Saguaro Boulevard it passed with a voter turnout at 43.27 percent.