Update: There is ongoing litigation around this referendum, but while it goes through the appeal process, it remains on the ballot, it will be counted and the vote will be certified. LWVAC recommends a YES vote and feels it is even more important because of the litigation.
Ballot Measure: AMENDING THE COUNTY CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS ON AN AT-LARGE BASIS
Shall the five members of the board of county commissioners of Alachua County, Florida, be elected by all electors within the county at large?
League of Women Voters Recommendation: Vote YES
This ballot measure relates to how the five Alachua County Commissioners are elected. In the upcoming election commissioners who are due for reelection will be elected by only the voters who live in the district the commissioner represents. This method of voting is referred to as “single member district”. If the proposed amendment is approved, beginning with the next election, county commissioners will be elected by all the voters in the county. This is referred to as “at large” voting and, except for this election, is the way Alachua county commissioners have been elected since the county charter was adopted. The difference between single member districts and at large voting can affect which candidates are elected and how our county government functions.
During the 2022 legislative session one of our state representatives passed a law requiring Alachua County residents to vote on changing the election of county commissioners to single member districts. Shortly before the election, an unidentified sponsor began a high-profile campaign employing disinformation to encourage residents to vote in favor of single member districts. The campaign was strategically designed, well-funded and comprehensive. It included large mailers, which quoted statements by local African American leaders and the NAACP which supported single member districts. The quotes were taken from a campaign in the City of Gainesville, where for many years at-large voting resulted in the election of white men as commissioners. City residents voted to include some single member districts and thereafter elected some African American commissioners.
Although Gainesville and Alachua County share some space, they are very different. Single member districts will notpromote racial justice in Alachua County. Single member districts are only recommended by NAACP as a “remedy to ….systems” in which the governing body does not represent the population. The NAACP specifies that districts be drawn by a professional mapping expert and include a district in which the majority of constituents are African Americans. None of these criteria apply to Alachua County. The Alachua County Commission has always had proportional representation of African Americans, the population is distributed throughout the county, and it would be difficult at best, to draw a majority minority district. The NAACP Branch of Alachua County and local African American Leaders are urging voters to vote Yes on Alachua County At Large Commission Districts Local Ballot Measure AMENDING THE COUNTY CHARTER TO PROVIDE FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS ON AN AT-LARGE BASIS. The League of Women Voters of Alachua County conducted a policy driven, objective and comprehensive study of this ballot measure. We support the return to at large voting in Alachua County and recommend you vote Yes on this ballot measure.
Advantages of At Large Voting in Alachua County
- Promotes racial justice
- Promotes gender equity
- Governing body is more cohesive and attuned to overall county issues
- Voters can vote for, and have access to, all commissioners
- Reduces risks associated with gerrymandering
Advantages of Single Member Districts
- Campaigns cost less, so more candidates may be able to run
- Voters have a better opportunity to meet candidates
- Voters may feel their representative is more accountable
- Voters may feel a greater connection to their representative
A YES VOTE would change the elections of county commissioner so all commissioners would be elected by all voters.
A NO VOTE would retain the current method of electing commissioners by only the voters who live in the district they represent.
Additional resources and information can be found in this article by Diane Dimperio.
