Municipal elections

Perhaps you haven’t noticed all the new signs. Perhaps you’re deliberately ignoring them.

It’s election time in Las Vegas. Again.

Candidate filing is under way for several city council posts and municipal court judgeships. The biggest race is for Las Vegas mayor.

Southern Nevada’s municipal election cycle, always arriving on the heels of bruising federal, state and county campaigns, never inspires the kind of excitement generated by November’s ballot. Between the odd schedule — an April primary, followed by a June general election — the electorate’s campaign fatigue and the nonpartisan nature of the races, offices that affect tens of thousands of taxpayers typically are decided by just 10 percent of registered voters.

These races should be moved from the spring in odd years to the fall of even-numbered years, when voters are more engaged. That’s the way it works in Northern Nevada.

Legislation to make that change in Clark County hasn’t gone anywhere in Carson City. Many city politicians don’t want to compete with members of Congress or candidates for governor for fundraising and air time, and they don’t want their signs getting lost in the clutter of corner A-frames and poster boards.

Despite the spring spotlight, the majority of city voters have shown time and again that they don’t care enough to go to the polls. That’s unfortunate, because these campaigns are very important. This is your government, funded by your tax money, making crucial decisions about your community.

Regardless of how you felt about the 2010 campaign, take the time to learn about the candidates in your city, then cast an informed vote.