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There are a few different ways to have a countywide referendum. Commissioners can call for one. State legislators can approve a vote. And, if those options fail, citizens can gather enough signatures to force a question to the ballot.
The problem for “We the People” is it would take the signatures of roughly 2,473 verified Cherokee County voters – by state law, 15 percent of the number who cast a ballot in the last gubernatorial election – to make it happen. That’s a tall task, especially in a county with fewer than 20,000 adults.
There are a few referendums being discussed today. One proposal would remove the county’s ¼-cent sales tax in favor of replacing it with a ¼-cent sales tax solely to be spent on education. Another proposal, and one with signatures already being collected, would enact in-district-only voting for Cherokee County commissioners.
Today in Cherokee County, there is one commissioner for each of five fairly even populated districts. While the commissioner must live in that district, they are voted on countywide. That means each commissioner actually represents the entire county, yet some commissioners feel like their job is to solely represent their district’s best interests.
If each commissioner is primarily going to represent their district, then John Worden – a teacher, hot rod enthusiast, former candidate for county commissioner and out-of-the-box political thinker – would like to see the voters in each district make the decision on who that person is, not the entire county. He has collected almost 300 signatures over the summer, with petitions available to sign at Black & White Market, Cherokee Guns, New Old Stuff, ShoeBooties Cafe and Valley River Barber Shop in Murphy.
The petition reads: “In order to establish better representation of the citizens of Cherokee County, N.C., we are seeking to have the commissioners vote to have a resolution added to the November 2024 ballot to change the election law to create in-district-only voting for the commissioner seats rather than the current whole district voting.” It adds, “We, the undersigned, are citizens of Cherokee County, N.C., and urge our commissioners to act now to pass a referendum to the November 2024 ballot to enact in-district voting in Cherokee County, N.C.”
“Most people just about snatch the petition out of my hand to sign it,” Worden said. “They want change.”
That was born out in the April primary elections, when both incumbent commissioners lost to political newcomers. And, make no mistake, several elections would have ended differently over the last two decades if in-district-only voting had been enacted, so this would be a historic change for the county.
There are negatives to this proposal, of course, the biggest being that voters would only help elect one commissioner instead of five. And if commissioners are solely focused on their districts, it could make it even more difficult for them to come together on important issues, like where new infrastructure should go first.
Worden has asked to be on the agenda for the county’s meeting Monday, Aug. 19, when he plans to ask commissioners to approve holding just such a referendum. If you want to help Worden with his signature efforts, text him at 828-516-2259 or email easternhotrodder@aol.com.
Regardless of whether this or other efforts has the petitioners’ intended result, it’s great to see citizens engaged in the process. So many people simply sigh, don’t register to vote and then say there’s nothing they can do, but you can get involved and make a difference. This is your home, too, and your voice should be heard.
– Publisher David Brown