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An off-year election in the United States typically refers to a general election held in an odd-numbered year when neither a presidential election nor a midterm election takes place.[1][2] At times, the term "off-year" may also be used to refer to midterm election years,[3] while the term "off-cycle" can also refer to any election held on another date than Election Day of an even-numbered year.[4]
Off-year elections during odd-numbered years rarely feature any election to a federal office, few state legislative elections, and very few gubernatorial elections. Instead, the vast majority of these elections are held at the county and municipal level. On the ballot are many mayors, a wide variety of citizen and legislatively referred incentives and referendums in various states, and many more local public offices. They may also feature a number of special elections to fill vacancies in various federal, state, and local offices. Jurisdictions that hold off-year elections require more frequent voting than jurisdictions that consolidate elections in even-numbered years.
- ^ "POLITICAL NOTES: Off-Year Elections". Time magazine. 1927-11-21. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
- ^ Chaggaris, Steve (November 3, 2009). "Politics Today: Off-Year Election Day is Here". CBS News. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ Bowman, Ann O'M.; Kearney, Richard C. (2014). State and Local Government: The Essentials (6th ed.). Cengage Learning. pp. 79–80.
Most states schedule their gubernatorial elections in "off-years"--that is, years in which no presidential election is held
- ^ Anzia 2013, pp. 6-7