Wendy Link, Supervisor of Elections for Palm Beach County, gave Wellington’s council an overview of how the county runs municipal elections and outlined several state bills and procedural changes that could affect municipalities.

“There is, I will say, a there's a bill right now...Senate Bill 1416,” Link said, reading from the text under consideration. “That would require all cities in the state of Florida would have to have municipal elections in November and would only be able to do them in the even years.”

Why it matters: shifting municipal elections from their current dates to November could change turnout, ballot length, runoff rules and local charter provisions. Wellington staff and council discussed how a forced move to November might eliminate local runoffs under some drafts of pending legislation.

Turnout and voting method trends
- Link said Palm Beach County had an 84% turnout in the November 2024 general election, higher than the state average. She told the council that after recent legal and procedural changes voter behavior has shifted back toward early in‑person voting and appointments for early voting.
- Vote‑by‑mail has decreased as registrations and verification rules changed; Link described an outreach effort to remind voters to renew vote‑by‑mail status and a “ballot‑track” service the county offers to notify voters when their ballots are mailed and received.
- Palm Beach County’s pilot appointment system for early voting was used by over 100,000 people with a roughly 98% show rate for scheduled appointments, Link said.

Runoffs and local rules
Council discussed Wellington’s charter provision that triggers a runoff if no candidate receives 35% of ballots cast. Link and staff noted that some state bills under discussion could eliminate local runoffs or change timing and that counties vary in whether they allow municipal runoffs. Council members said they would wait for the end of the legislative session before making local charter changes.

Operational notes
- County canvassing: Link described how the county canvassing board handles absentee counting and how municipalities may either use county canvassing or convene their own canvassing board.
- Poll workers: Link said 67% of Palm Beach County poll workers were over age 61; recruitment and Adopt‑a‑Precinct programs remain important to staffing elections.

Council direction: staff and council agreed to monitor the progress of SB1416 and related measures and to return with analysis if the Legislature enacts changes that would affect Wellington’s election schedule or runoff rules.