Virginia

Here in Chicago local elections for years have been held not just in off years, but in an off month as well, nowhere near November. Keeps the amateurs out, and magnified the usefulness of the regular machine vote. That latter is not so important anymore, but the former still applies.

I find it hard to think that in the Reconstruction period, an arrangement of such utility to a ruling clique just grew to be quite by accident, pace this earnest and knowledgeable academic.