Miami commissioners adopted a contentious resolution to change city elections to even years, despite a warning from Florida’s attorney general.

In a second and final vote Thursday, the commissioners opted to postpone this year’s election until November 2026.

The motion was approved 3-2, with Commissioners Joe Carollo and Miguel Angel Gabela voting against it. Commissioners Damian Pardo, Ralph Rosado, and Christine King supported it.

Commissioners decided earlier this month to change city elections to even years, aligning them with presidential or gubernatorial races, and to impose lifetime term restrictions.

Supporters claim it will raise voter turnout, while detractors call it a power grab that will allow term-limited leaders like Carollo and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez an extra year in office.

“Special elections and off-year elections you have approximately 10% turnout, maybe 15% on the high end,” Rosado told CNN. “But the reality is you should want more people to go out and vote, if we align our elections with the state and federal elections we should increase turnout to somewhere between 60 and 70%.”

According to Suarez, changing elections to even years makes sense for a variety of reasons.

“Miami shouldn’t continue to host elections with such little turnout. It is pricey, out of date, and produces outcomes that do not reflect the city,” he stated. “Even-year elections mean higher turnout, stronger mandates, and a government more in step with its people—a change the law allows and other cities have already made.”

Carollo, who opposed the plan from the start, pointed out that city elections in November sometimes result in a runoff in December.

“We have never never had an election on December the 8th so the participation you are going to have on that date is going to be the lowest ever in the history of the city of Miami,” Carollo told the audience.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier advised commissioners on Wednesday not to approve the bill.

“The state will not allow such an unconstitutional divergence. “You should immediately suspend the process of enacting the ordinance to change the date of municipal elections and the terms of office for elected officials,” Uthmeier stated.

Gabela asked the attorney general for advice, specifically on elected officials serving an extra year.

“The voter did not vote for that and at the end of the day, it just does not look good,” replied Gabela. “I think the voter is the one that has the last word on this, the electorate and I think should be their choice, and I have no problem if they want to put this to a referendum.”

Earlier Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remarked on the measure in an X post.

“It is unacceptable for incumbent politicians to cancel elections and unilaterally extend their terms in government. It also violates the term limits,” DeSantis stated. “I’d anticipate a swift legal response to this scheme if/when its enacted.”

Denise Galvez Turros was supposed to seek for a commission position this year, but now she’s suing the city.

“What we are filing is an emergency injunction, we have already spoken to our attorneys, we know we meet the requirements of an emergency injunction, so we will be filing that either, if not by tomorrow by Monday the latest,” replied Galvez Turros.