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Oviedo committee debates lowering petition signature threshold, keeps paper format
Summary
Members considered reducing the charter’s 15% signature threshold for citizen initiatives and discussed whether to accept electronic petitions; the committee favored keeping paper signatures for now and added a topic to consider lowering the percentage (10% suggested) to its follow‑up list.
Committee members raised concerns about the charter’s initiative and referendum procedures and the practical burden of collecting signatures in a growing city.
A member (S11) urged lowering the petition threshold from 15% to a smaller percentage, saying, “I think we should drop the 15 down to, like, 5.” Chair (S6) cautioned that a lower threshold for initiatives would shift legislative power away from the elected council to direct voter action and recommended aligning amendment thresholds with state precedent; he noted that Chapter 166 sets a 10% threshold for charter‑amendment petitions.
Separately, a member asked whether the charter should permit electronic submission of petitions. The Chair recommended retaining paper‑based petitions: the supervisor of elections’ verification process relies on physical signatures, and electronic or scanned signatures complicate verification and could introduce procedural problems until the state adopts a uniform electronic process.
Committee members also discussed the practical scale of the petition threshold: one member cited roughly 25,170 registered voters in 2024 and noted that a 15% threshold would require thousands of signatures. The committee agreed to add consideration of lowering the 15% threshold (10% suggested) to the follow‑up topic list for later drafting and analysis.
No ordinance or charter language was changed at the meeting; the topic will return for further discussion and potential draft amendments.
