Even the least compelling of November elections brings more people to the polls than June votes, said a group of Windham residents who would like to see municipal races decided at the later date each year.

Earlier this month, the group sent a letter requesting that town councilors ask residents on this year’s November ballot if they would like to move the annual municipal elections to November. 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.

John MacKinnon, Windham Town Council chairman, said at the May 13 meeting that the council may not have the time to take up the issue until after the June 10 election. While awaiting action by the council, supporters of the proposal plan to be at the polls on June 10, collecting some of the approximately 1,400 signatures that would place the question on the ballot regardless of the council’s decision.

The letter, signed by six residents, cites last year’s voter turnout as a reason to make a change. The municipal elections in June brought 14 percent of Windham voters to the polls, while the off-year November ballot, which featured referendum questions but no elections at any level, drew 24 percent of the electorate.

From those numbers, it is clear that moving municipal elections to November will mean more residents will determine Windham’s town officers, said Tom Bartell, a former councilor, who signed the letter.

“It’ll get more people out, and hopefully more people will be interested in the election,” he said.

Neighboring municipalities Westbrook and Gorham are among the 50 Maine towns and cities that hold their municipal elections in November, according to Maine Municipal Association.

Mike Shaughnessy of Windham, a local Democratic party leader who did not sign the letter but supports the proposal, said a November municipal election would bring more attention to town issues.

“June is a primary, and it tends to overshadow the town election,” he said.

Around 40 percent of Windham voters are unenrolled, Shaughnessy said, so they usually have little interest in the primary elections.

“They tend to be the ones who vote least in June,” he said.

The idea of changing the municipal election date has been bandied about for a number of years within the Windham Town Democratic Committee, Shaughnessy said.

“There’s never been a formal effort, but it’s an idea that has been around forever,” he said, adding that the group supporting the proposal represents all parties and political views.

Shaughnessy and Bartell said they would like to see the council place the matter on the ballot. Regardless of the town’s decision, Shaughnessy said, the group will be at the polls gathering signatures.

“That will show what kind of support we have,” he said.