Councilor pushes plan for Saturday elections

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

Pee wee soccer and college football may occasionally have to compete with a new Saturday pastime if Boston City Councilor John Tobin has his way.

Tobin wants to move city elections to Saturday in an attempt to boost anemic voter turnout.

"You have this enormous attention to the presidential race and the governor's race, and it doesn't seem to translate down to the municipal level," Tobin said.

The City Council is scheduled to consider the proposal today at a hearing.

The last City Council election, which was held on a Tuesday, drew 13 percent of registered voters. Tobin argued that Saturday voting would make it easier on working families to head to the polls and campaign for candidates. Dedham already votes on Saturday voting, Tobin said, giving residents time to weigh in on the issues that most impact their lives.

"I can't imagine there are people calling Deval Patrick to get their street lights turned on,” Tobin said.

It is the third electoral reform idea floated this year by Tobin, who has made no secret of his mayoral ambitions. He has also called for having council elections in the same year as mayoral elections and instituting term limits for the mayor and councilors.

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