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Panel advances bill allowing certain property owners to vote in White Bluff municipal elections (5,000 sq ft threshold)
Summary
House Bill 2658 would allow persons who own property in the town of White Bluff (and meet a 5,000-square-foot threshold) to vote in municipal elections even if they reside outside the town limits; sponsor said the change expands eligibility and aligns municipal voter rules for that community.
Representative Littleton explained that HB 2658 would allow "all persons who are qualified to vote in state and county elections and who reside within the corporate limits of the town of White Bluff or reside outside the boundaries of town of White Bluff, but within the boundaries of Dixon County and own property located within the boundaries of the city...to be entitled to vote in municipal elections." She added that any such real property must be at least "5,000 square feet."
Members sought clarity about whether the rule represented a new enfranchisement or consistent practice; Littleton said she did not know whether property owners had been able to vote previously. Representative Davis noted that Knoxville has processes for property-owner voting and said allowing property owners a voice in zoning is important. The committee voted 9–0 to advance the bill to State and Local Government.
