Poll: Gainesville voters favor change to district voting

GAINESVILLE - An independent poll conducted by Landmark Communications in Atlanta found that voters in Gainesville would favor changing the city's system of voting from at-large to district voting.

The poll was unveiled Friday morning on WDUN's Morning Talk. Co-host Ashley Bell says 300 active voters were polled on May 13. He said those who were polled covered all demographics.

"The specifics were 39-percent of voters [overall] support changing the current system, 33 opposed it, 27-percent were undecided," said Bell.

Bell noted the biggest surprise in the poll was the response of Hispanic voters. Of the 17 registered Hispanic voters polled, only 5.9 percent favored changing the current system.

"You could ask a million questions why that's the case," said Bell. "[Maybe] they just don't understand it [the system] or they don't trust it, but it's a complete contradiction to what we see coming from GALEO."

Among the opponents of the the at-large system is the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO), a group that says Gainesville's Latino population is disenfranchised by the current system. GALEO has threatened legal action if the city does not adopt district voting.

State Representative Timothy Barr, Republican from District 103, also was on the program. He said while he needs to study both sides of the issue in more depth, his initial reaction would be to support a change to by-district voting for Gainesville.

"This [by district] gives a little more accountability, and I like accountability in government and I like for folks to be able to go 'You represent me,' and have that voice straight to a certain...city councilman," said Barr.

Any change to the city's voting system would have to be approved by local legislators.

Findings from the Landmark Communications, Inc. poll:

Total polled - 300
Date conducted - May 13, 2013
Margin of Error - 5%

Overall numbers:

Support changing the current system: 39.0%
Oppose changing the current system: 33.3%
Undecided: 27.7%

Gender:

Male (137 polled)
Support changing the current system: 43.8%
Oppose changing the current system: 40.9%
Undecided: 15.3%

Female (163 polled)
Support changing the current system: 35.2%
Oppose changing the current system: 25.8%
Undecided: 38.3%

Race:

African-American (62 polled)
Support changing the current system: 43.5%
Oppose changing the current system: 25.8%
Undecided: 30.6%

White (205 polled)
Support changing the current system: 41.0%
Oppose changing the current system: 34.1%
Undecided: 30.6%

Hispanic (17 polled)
Support changing the current system 5.9%
Oppose changing the current system 58.8%
Undecided: 35.3%

Other (16 polled)
Support changing the current system 31.3%
Oppose changing the current system: 25.0%
Undecided: 43.8%