The election was supposed to happen next year, but the commission voted Monday to move it to 2024.
If the city council approves the change, the city attorney's office will draft a ballot measure for residents and voters to consider.
Commissioner and San Jose State political science professor Garrick Percival was the first to recommend the city shift mayoral elections. He said aligning the mayoral and presidential elections is intended to make local voting more representative.
Community organizations such as the San Jose / Silicon Valley NAACP have pushed for the change since 2019.
They say shifting the mayoral election to presidential election years will help with voter turnout.
Advocates say the shift will benefit low-income voters and voters of color, who historically turn out less in off-presidential years.