Unlike past elections, not all Alachua County residents will vote for the next county commissioners in November.  

Only voters in District 1 and 3—ranging from the southern half of Newberry down to Archer, east to Micanopy and up to southwest Gainesville—will cast ballots, following the new single-member district system. 

Alachua County residents approved the new system in a 2022 referendum placed on the ballot by state legislators.  

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) previously had at-large districts. Each of the five commissioners came from a different district, but the entire county, not just that district, voted to select the winner from each district.  

The single-member district system only allows voters from District 1 to vote for the District 1 commissioner. It’s the same with districts 2 through 5.  

For the upcoming election, incumbent Anna Prizzia will be on the ballot against Jenn Garrett for the District 3 seat. Prizzia won the seat in 2020 with 60% of the vote under the at-large system.  

Incumbent Mary Alford will face DeJeon Cain in the Democratic primary before the winner advances to face Lizabeth Doebler in November. Alford won the seat in 2022 by 58% under the former system.  

The current BOCC commissioners have opposed the single-member district system, saying it takes away representation and accountability from citizens. The BOCC members say they represent each citizen, giving five elected officials to hold accountable instead of one.  

In April, the BOCC decided to place the single-member district question back on the ballot, giving voters another chance to either confirm or reject single-member districts.  

The BOCC said misinformation campaigns during the 2022 election cycle tainted the vote. Commissioner Ken Cornell said he had heard from constituents that they were confused and voted for single-member districts without wanting them. He said other constituents were outraged that they would not be voting for one of the BOCC seats this November.  

Originally, Districts 1, 3 and 5 were on the ballot, but no one qualified to oppose Commissioner Chuck Chestnut in District 5.  

Republican and Democratic candidates seem split on whether the county should keep single-member districts. To read Prizzia and Garrett’s views, click here. To read Alford and Doebler’s views, click here.  

The BOCC has been dominated by the Democratic Party for years, giving Republicans a reason to switch the methodology and Democrats a reason to keep it. In Sarasota County, the opposite situation occurred, with Republicans in control of the county commission and the Democratic Party advocating for a switch to single-member districts.  

According to the Florida Association of Counties, 21 counties use a single-member system, 39 counties use an at-large system and seven use a mix of both. 

November’s ballot referendum will read as follows:  

“Shall the five members of the board of county commissioners of Alachua County, Florida, be elected by all electors within the county at large?”   

If voters say ‘no’, the single-member district system will stay in place with more votes under the system. If voters say ‘yes’, the 2024 elections will be a one-off and the elections will return to at-large voting. At least, unless someone else puts it back on the ballot.