Windham residents may get a chance to shift the annual election of municipal officers from June to November if a group of citizens get their way.

The Windham Town Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. to hear public comment on a citizen-initiated proposal to change the date of the municipal elections.

A group of Windham residents last month submitted a petition with more than 1,400 signatures asking the council to put on the November ballot a question asking residents if they would like to move the annual municipal elections to November.

The group needed just over 1,300 signatures to force the council to place the issue on a ballot in the next municipal election. Because the November vote is not a municipal election, the council could decide to wait until the June 2009 elections, but would likely face a fight in court, said town attorney Ken Cole. To meet ballot deadlines, the council has to decide on the matter by mid-September.

If successful, the proposal would not change the date of the annual town meeting, only the election of town councilors, school committee members and the town clerk. The group feels that Windham should elect its municipal officers at a time when the most voters are at the polls. Even the least compelling November election draws more voters than a heated June vote, said Michael Shaughnessy, who helped with the petition effort.