390-14 Electoral Systems in Miami Beach 1915-1993"A HISTORY OF ELECTORAL SYSTEMS IN
MIAMI BEACH FROM 1915 TO 1993"
By
Abraham D. Lavender, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Florida International University
North Miami, Florida 33181
April 1994
(Also see "List of Mayors and Commissioners of Miami Beach from 1915 to 1993")
Explanatory Sheet to Accompany Chart
"A History of Electoral Systems in Miami Beach From 1915 to the
Current Time''
by Abraham D. Lavender, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Florida International University
North Miami, Florida 33181
April 1994 (minor corrections made 5/26/94)
Miami Beach was incorporated on March 26, 1915, with a mayor
and seven Aldermen being elected or appointed, depending on the
source one reads. There were 33 registered voters who had paid the
poll tax, and 30 were present at the incorporation meeting. On
April 20, 1915, the aldermen drew lots for either one- or two-year
terms. Four members drew lots for two-year terms, and three members
drew lots for one-year terms. However, Council minutes do not
reflect an election one year later, and, in fact, on December 18,
1916, about one year and nine months after taking office, there was
an election for a mayor and all seven council members. The top two
candidates for council were elected to four-year terms, and the
next five highest candidates were elected to two-year terms.
The election on December 28, 1918, set a pattern that
continued every two years Until 1937. The mayor was elected
separately. Because the two council members elected to four-year
terms in 1916 were holdovers, there were elections for only five
council members in 1918. This pattern continued, a mayor and five
council members being elected every two years. At each election,
the two highest winners were elected to four-year terms, and the
next three highest winners were elected to two-year terms. Because
two members of the Council were elected for four years, there were
two holdover members each time so that the Council continued with
a'total of seven members. A majority of votes cast was not required
to be elected; the top five candidates were elected regardless of
the percentages, and without any runoffs. After each election, the
council elected a President from among its seven members. The
President presided at Council meetings, although the Mayor
frequently was present.
On May 27, 1935, the Council (Resolution #3213) began the
process to end the election of a mayor by the people. So, in the
next election, held on June 1, 1937, a mayor was not elected by the
people. The Council pattern continued as before--two holdover
members, the top two candidates being elected to four-year terms,
and the next three candidates being elected to two-year terms. The
Council elected the mayor from among its seven members. From 1943
on, the custom was followed, although not legally required, that
the candidate who received the most votes was elected mayor by the
Council. In effect, this limited each mayor to a two-year term
because two years after his election (when he would not be up for
reelection because he had won a four-year term) he would be
replaced by the highest vote getter. Minor variations on the two-
year and four-year terms resulted from changes in the month of the
election. From 1916 through 1922, elections were held in October,
and from 1924 through 1934 elections were held in December. In
1937, at the same time that the mayor's position was no longer
filled, elections were held in June, so that those council members
elected in December 1934 served two and a half years.
Beginning with the election on June 1, 1937, and~continuing
through the election held on June 3, 1947, the pattern continued
with no mayor, two holdover members of council, the top two winners
getting four-year terms, and the next three winners getting two-
year terms. Beginning with the election held on June 7, 1949, the
top three winners received fou~-year terms, and the neXt two
winners received two-year terms, so that there were now three
holdover council members at each election and only four elected.
So, beginning with the election on June 6, 1951, there were three
(instead of two) holdover members of the council, and four (instead
of five) elected. Of the four elected, the top three were elected
for four-year terms, and the fourth-place winner was elected for a
two-year term. Elections continued to be held in June, and this
pattern continued through the election of 1963 with one major
exception. In the elections of 1955, 1957, and 1959, the city
required runoff elections. There were four vacancies each time, and
the top eight candidates went into a runoff for these vacancies. In
1961, the city returned to the earlier pattern of no runoffs.
The election held on June 1, 1965, reflected three changes.
A mayor was again elected separately for a two-year term, the
council was reduced from seven members to six members, and numbers
were assigned to each council seat. This change followed a popular
vote of December 1, 1964, whereby the voters of the city passed an
amendment mandating these changes by a vote of 2,974 to 1,560. The
vote followed a legal battle led by Gabrielle Nash. All six council
members served four-year terms, but the staggered system continued
so that only three council members were elected in 1965 and every
two years thereafter. The top three candidates were elected each
time, with no requirement that a winner receive a majority of votes
cast. Hence, there was no reason for a runoff election. In 1969,
elections were held in November instead of June, so that the three
council members elected in June 1965 Served almost four and a half
years and the mayor and council members who had been elected in
June 1967 served almost two anda half year terms. With this minor
change, this pattern continued until 1975.
In November 1975, the pattern continued to elect a mayor and
three council' members, except that the three council members were
elected for ~only two years instead of four years. Hence, in
November 1977 all six council positions came up for election at the
same time, and all terms were changed to two years. So, from 1977
through the election of 1989, the mayor and all six members of the
council were elected at the same time, all for two-year terms. As
before, a majority of votes cast was not required.
The election of November 20, 1991, reflected two major
changes. The city kept a separate election for the mayor, but set
the stage for a return to the pre-1977 pattern of having four-year
staggered terms for the six members of the commission. In the
election of 1991, in addition to electing the mayor in a separate
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election, three of the candidates (predetermined by seat or "GrOup"
number) were elected for four-year terms and three were elected fOr
two-year terms. So,~ in 1993, three of the commission seats were up
for election, for four-year terms, and the staggered system became
effective whereby every two years there will be three vacancies on
the Commission for four-year terms. Another major change also took
place in 1991. For the first time, runoffs were required if a
candidate for mayor or the commission did not receive a majority of
votes cast.
In summary, counting the selection or election in 1915,' Miami
Beach has had forty elections, basically every two years. Aldermen
was the term first used; this soon changed to Councilmen, and in
1977 it changed to Commissioners.
The mayor has always served a two-year term. In 26 elections,
the mayor was elected by the people, and in 14 elections (from 1937
through 1963) he was elected from among the members of the council.'
The council has had six or seven members throughout all these
years. For fifty years, from 1915 through 1965, there were seven
members of the council. But, for twenty-eight of those years, from
1937 to 1965, one of the council members also served as mayor.
Beginning in 1918 and continuing until 1977, the council
members had staggered terms. In seven elections, from 1977 through
1989, covering fourteen years, the major and all six members of the
commission were elected at the same time. In 1991, the stage was
set to return to staggered terms which became effective in 1993.
In all forty elections, runoff elections have been required
only in 1955, 1957, 1959, and beginning again in 1991 and
continuing to the present. In 1955, 1957, and 1959, the top eight
candidates (for four vacancies) went into a runoff regardless of
the number of candidates or the number of votes received by
candidates. In 1991 and 1993, a runoff was necessary if a candidate
did not receive a majority of votes cast. Without a runoff
requirement, candidates frequently have been elected with less than
a 'majority of the votes cast. Among the extreme cases were 1977 and
1983. In 1977, in a five-person race for one seat, the winning
candidate received only 28.7% of the votes casts; in 1983, in a
five-person race for one seat, the winning candidate received only
27.9% of the votes cast.
From 1915 through 1963, "singlerslate" voting was used. A
voter could vote for several candidates, up to the number of
vacancies. However, a voter was not required to vote for that many
candidates. A preliminary analysis suggests that if there were five
vacancies, the voters averaged voting for between three and a half
and four candidates. If there were four vacancies, the voters
averaged voting for about three or slightly more candidates.
In 1965, Group elections were begun. Although candidates had
to select a specific Group to run in, all voters in the city could
vote for all groups. In each Group, through 1989, the highest vote
receiver was elected regardless of the percentage received.
From 1918 through 1922, elections were held in October; from
1924 through 1924, in December; from 1937 through 1967, in June;
and from 1969 until the current time, in November.
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