The opponents to the Clark County home rule charter must be desperate. They claim the charter will take away the voice of voters when nothing could be further from the truth.
Right now, there are three districts. The three commissioners are voted on by district only in the primary. Everyone votes on all three commissioner positions in the general election, which means the district voter has no direct voice on the Board of Clark County Commissioners.
The charter expands to four districts and one at-large position, which means every voter gets to focus on one district through the general election. The at-large position is for the chairperson of the county council, as it would then be called. If a district voter has a problem or question, he or she can contact that district’s county councilor or the chairperson.
Furthermore, the charter provides for initiative and referendum powers that don’t exist at the present time. Opponents claim these powers can’t be used to amend the charter, and for once, they are correct. However, that is because the charter provides a procedure whereby the public may propose charter amendments that will not require an initiative.