Modification of County Commissioner Elections

     Currently, in a county with a population of 70,000 or more (covered county) , the board of county commissioners (board) may consist of 3 or 5 commissioners. If the board consists of 3 commissioners, the county is divided into 3 districts, with one commissioner elected from each district by voters in the district or voters of the whole county. Alternatively, the board may consist of 5 commissioners, in which case the county may be divided into 3 or 5 districts, and the commissioners may be elected pursuant to numerous methods, including by district, at large, or by some combination of both methods.

     The bill eliminates modifies this discretionary system and instead requires any county with a population of 70,000 or more ( so that if a covered county ) to elect has 3 commissioners, the commissioners must be elected by district only by voters resident in those districts. If a covered county has 5 commissioners , the commissioners must be elected by one of the following 2 alternative methods of election :

• 5 commissioners resident in 5 districts elected only by voters resident in those districts (by-district method) ; or
• 5 3 commissioners elected by district only by voters in those districts and 2 commissioners elected at large using a ranked voting method by voters of the whole county (combination method) .

      The board of a covered county that has 3 commissioners must refer a resolution to the electors of the county at the general election during each decennial census year to ask the electors whether they would like to increase the board to 5 commissioners and, if so, which of the two alternative methods of election they prefer for electing those 5 commissioners.

     The board of a covered county that has 5 commissioners is required to adopt a resolution designating the 2 alternative methods of electing the 5 county commissioners no later than its first regularly scheduled meeting in the calendar year 2027 . or its first regularly scheduled meeting in the month following becoming a covered county. The board is required to refer the resolution to the electors of the county at the first general election following its adoption for those electors to select their preferred method of electing the 5 commissioners. A covered county that has a board consisting of 5 commissioners and that already elects its commissioners according to one of the 2 alternative methods using either the by-district method or the combination method of election is not required to pass a resolution. With a petition signed by at least 5% of the qualified electors of the county, the electors of a covered county that has a board consisting of 5 commissioners may also place on the ballot at a general election the question of whether to change the method of electing members of the board from one of the 2 alternative methods of election to the other.

     A home rule county that elects more than half of its county commissioners by district or using a ranked voting method is exempt from the requirements of the bill.

     The bill also makes conforming amendments.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)
(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)