US Voters Pick Council Members and Commissioners on November 3

Voters across the United States head to the polls on November 3 to choose more than presidents and members of Congress. They will also select the council members and commissioners who decide where municipal money goes.

Those elected officials write local ordinances, approve city budgets and check that public works get done on time. Commissioners handle the same duties plus the power to draft laws, release funding for public works projects and ask a mayor or city manager to carry out approved work.

How these positions get filled depends on each municipality's own rules. The most common approach sends all registered voters to polling places to choose representatives at large, with the highest vote totals winning office. Some jurisdictions run district or neighborhood elections instead, where residents pick a representative for their geographic area. A mixed model appears in some places.

City councils generally run five to nine members, though larger cities such as New York and Chicago seat far more. Terms typically last four years under each city's laws. Commissioners are chosen by popular vote as well, usually to four-year terms, though some counties run elections every two or three years.

Council members set an agenda before each meeting and must notify the public so residents can attend and hear the debates. Budget questions dominate those sessions: whether to build a new structure, repave streets, replace lighting, fix drainage, hire additional security or purchase patrol cars.

Most candidates run without party affiliation, though some file as Republicans or Democrats. This year's ballot includes first-time candidates, among them Latino challengers.