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Due to a state budget cut this year that eliminates state funding for local May elections, towns and cities across Virginia may have to tear up their traditional election calendars.

Last June, the City of Alexandria voted to move municipal elections, previously held the first Tuesday in May every three years, to November to coincide with state and national elections. Falls Church may make a similar move next week.

Over the next couple of months, several other municipalities will decide whether to continue fully funding May elections or fold them into state-supported November contests. The list includes Fairfax City and the towns of Clifton, Herndon and Vienna.

Frankly, we're not sure why this decision has been so difficult to make.

The argument against changing election dates often begins with a mention of "warm spring weather" and ends with some tired variation of "it's what we've always done."

There's not a lot in the middle.

In late 2009, with every municipality between Herndon and Hampton Roads searching for extra nickels and dimes, the economic realities of holding separate voting days are more pronounced than ever. While spending a few thousand dollars on a mayor's race isn't going to decimate most town budgets, it's certainly enough to kill a couple of after-school programs or eliminate cost-of-living increases for half a dozen employees.

It's also worth noting that the heavy lifting on most municipal budgets is done in the spring, just when town officials are beginning to knock on doors, spar in debates and attend fundraisers.

More important is the calendar's impact on voter turnout.

Outside of presidential election years, which usually draw more than 60 percent of voters to the polls, most November elections in Fairfax County draw between 35 and 40 percent. While not earth-shattering, it's significantly better than the 15 percent turnout figures often tied to municipal elections in May.

Perhaps the best illustration of that can be found in the City of Falls Church, where a tapped-in electorate often results in 80-plus percent turnouts in the fall and 25 or 30 percent participation in the spring.

The result, ultimately, is that thousands of educated, active citizens are not participating in critical local elections. Casting a vote for president or governor may make for more spirited discussions at the water cooler, but votes cast in town or city council elections are equally critical. Low turnout hurts the process, and too often results in one-dimensional candidates with self-dealing interests slipping into office.

If the goal is significant cost savings, higher voter turnout and better-vetted candidates, shifting all of our municipal elections to November is a no-brainer.

It even got up to 60 degrees during the last election.