Alachua County voters are being asked to amend the county charter relating to how Alachua County commissioners are elected -- changing from at-large districts, where all five commissioners are elected by all county voters, to what are called single-member districts -- where each citizen only votes for the one commissioner representing the district in which they live.
Voters will be asked in November to vote yes or no to this question:
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Shall the five members of the board of county commissioners of Alachua County, Florida, be elected to office from single-member districts by electors residing in each of those districts only?
Argument for the change
“We don’t elect out state legislature at large, we elect our state legislature by districts. Wouldn’t it be nice if you thought that way for you to have a neighborhood where you not only knew your representatives, but you could vote he or she out of office?” - Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Florida House District 21, who proposed the legislation that put this referendum on the ballot
Argument against the change
The County Commission voted unanimously last December to oppose this change to the charter.
“...Representative Clemons’ local bill is a political assault on the Alachua County Home-Rule Charter and our citizens. The bill seeks to create a larger local government that would cost the taxpayers more money and reduce each citizen’s representation and voice.” - Alachua County District 4 Commissioner Ken Cornell, who is up for re-election this year.