The Sumter County Commission has little desire to revisit the One Sumter voting referendum.
Commissioner Oren Miller’s motion Tuesday for the county to put the referendum on the ballot failed for lack of a second.
The Reverse One Sumter referendum would mean commissioners would be elected only by voters in their districts instead of at-large. The at-large elections began in 2004 and a referendum to reverse the practice failed a few years later.
Miller said he has collected 11,000 petition signatures supporting the referendum, which could be more than enough to get it on the ballot without the county’s endorsement.
But he said the Coronavirus pandemic makes it difficult to collect more signatures.
The referendum cannot be placed on the ballot until 2022, when the next primary election is scheduled.
Commissioner Gary Search said he appreciates serving as a commissioner for the entire county and not just people in his district.