Hear from experts and ask questions about the November 2026 Lee County referendum on County Commissioner elections. Lee County voters will decide if future Lee County Commissioners are elected by the voters in their district (single-member) or continue to be elected by voters county-wide (at-large). Lee County voters can ensure the Commissioner representing their District is elected by the people they serve! The League of Women Voters of Lee County, Inc. invites the public to this free event: Local Voice, Local Choice: Choosing Commissioners by Single-Member Districts, Saturday, February 7, 2026, 9:30-11:30am, at the East County Regional Library, 881 Gunnery Rd. North, Lehigh Acres and virtual. This program is not sponsored/endorsed by the Lee County Library System.

Register: LWVLeeSingleMember.eventbrite.com, email lwvlee@lwvlee.org, or call 239-278-1032 A zoom link will be emailed to registrants two days before the event and the day of the event.

In November 2026, Lee County voters will decide by referendum on the structure of the Lee County commission. Approval by a majority vote will amend the Lee County Charter to require members of the county commission to be elected from the voters in their district (single-member) beginning with the 2028 election. Currently Lee County Commissioners are elected county-wide (at large).

Speakers will discuss this critical Lee County issue. Topics include the referendum ballot language, how the change may improve community representation, encourage responsiveness and accountability, strengthen resilience and emergency response, and enhance consideration of district-specific issues.

Speakers include:
Nicholas Warren, Esq., Florida native Nick Warren joined the ACLU of Florida in 2020 as a staff attorney focusing on voting rights. At the ACLU-FL, he has litigated redistricting cases; ballot initiatives; and led voting rights advocacy projects. He attended Middlebury College and NYU School of Law before resettling in Jacksonville.

Sandra Pavelka, Ph.D., Dr. Sandra Pavelka is Founding Director of the Institute for Youth and Justice Studies, Professor at FGCU and a Lee County District 5 resident. She received her Ph.D. in Public Administration with a specialization in Justice Policy from FAU and is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Women in Business APEX Award by the Greater Ft. Myers Chamber of Commerce.

Matt Caldwell, Lee County Property Appraiser, Matt Caldwell has served as the Lee County Property Appraiser, since 2020, he represented Lee County in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. Caldwell has been a long-time proponent of changing Lee County’s commission structure from at-large voting to single-member districts, having pushed for this change since serving on the Charter Review Committee in 2008.

Single-Member District Background
The League of Women Voters of Lee County, Inc. (LWVLee) and many Lee County community leaders have long supported elections by single member districts for the Lee Board of County Commissioners (BOCC).

Under the Lee County Charter, adopted by voters in 1996, Lee County is governed by a five-member Board of County Commissioners. Each Commissioner is elected on a county-wide basis by the electors of the County.

Since 1996, Lee County’s population has almost doubled. With a population of more than 800,000; Lee County is the 8th largest in population of Florida’s 67 counties. Of the 8 largest counties, only Lee elects County Commissioners on a county-wide (at-large) basis.

In past elections, including 2024, in 23 election cycles, in at least 14, the candidate for a Commission District won the majority in their district, but was not elected to the Commission in the county-wide (at-large)

The election of the BOCC by single member districts may:
• Amplify and rise-up community concerns
• Provide voters more influence and voting power within the district than they have county-wide
• Encourage accountability and responsiveness to Commissioners’ voters/constituents
• Require less expensive campaigns
• Involve more community candidates

The League of Women Voters of Lee County, Inc. is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose candidates and/or political parties.
The League of Women Voters is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice.
www.lwv.org, www.lwvfl.org, www.lwvlee.org. Call 239-278-1032 or e-mail lwvlee@lwvlee.org
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