Carol Lindstrom created a petition so residents could decide when town elections should be.

In November, Christiansburg residents will be asked whether they want to change the date of town elections from May to November.

Montgomery County Registrar Randy Wertz said question will be a referendum on the ballot for the November general election.

The initiative began when Christiansburg blogger Carol Lindstrom created a petition so that town residents could decide when the election should be. She formed a group to help gather signatures on Election Day to get the question on the ballot. The group collected 2,739 signatures.

To have the referendum placed on the ballot, Lindstrom needed signatures of 10 percent of registered voters in the town as of Jan. 1. -- 1,299. Councilman Henry Showalter, a supporter of the group, delivered the petition Nov. 18 to Montgomery County Clerk of Circuit Court Erica Williams to begin the review process.

Williams notified Wertz, who checked the names and addresses on the petition to make sure they were valid. Wertz verified that the group greatly surpassed its goal.

"We did not have to check them all to get the number they needed," he said.

The petition was certified once officials reached 1,302 signatures.

"It's just incredible, the amount of help that was out there to get the signatures," Showalter said.

Now that the petition is approved, Showalter said his goal is to make sure residents are informed about the referendum so they can vote on it in November. He said ads will be run in local publications, and signs will be posted at the courthouse and municipal building to inform people of the ballot item.

Proponents of November municipal elections say the election switch could increase voter participation, because turnout in May for town elections is consistently low.

Some Christiansburg Town Council members have said they don't want to switch because of concerns over partisanship enveloping town elections and wanting Christiansburg to retain a sense of individuality by having its own election.

Wertz said he and his department are in favor of the election change.

"This way we have one less election to run and both towns [Christiansburg and Blacksburg] will have their elections on the same cycle," he said.

Wertz also expects higher turnout in November and said that the change would save the town money. With the elections in May, Christiansburg pays for its own elections, Wertz said, but since the change would align the town and general elections, the cost would be covered by Montgomery County.