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Many months from now, Sumter County voters will be asked to revisit how their commissioners are elected.

That’s because the County Commission voted Tuesday night to put the Reverse One Sumter issue on the ballot. The vote was 3 to 2, with the newly elected commissioners, led by Oren Miller, voting yes.

The change would require that commissioners run in single-members districts representing different parts of the county. That’s the way it used to be until 2004, when voters decided they should be elected countywide. 

Miller says he wants commissioners who are “accountable and responsible” to the people of the district .

Under Florida law, the referendum cannot be a standalone special election. So it has been set for the August 2022 primary.