Three out of four Orange County charter amendments pass

Three out of four controversial Orange County Charter amendments were passed Tuesday night – two of which potentially limit residents from putting new laws before the County Commission.

Residents today have up until 45 days before an election to get 40,000 signatures from citizens on a proposed law. Amendment Question A, passed by 62.74 percent of the vote, pushed that deadline far earlier, requiring the signatures 150 days before the election.

It wouldn’t be the first restriction placed on residents seeking to pass a new law on their own. In 2006, the Florida Legislature passed an amendment requiring a 60 percent vote by residents to pass a citizen referendum on the ballot. Residents only needed 50 percent of the vote before.

Amendment Question B, barely passing by 50.8 percent, bans residents from proposing new wage and labor laws using the aforementioned process.

Finally, voters passed an amendment by an overwhelming 71.49 percent to make all constitutional offices – including sheriff and elections supervisor –nonpartisan posts with term limits.

The lone failed amendment, with 54.17 percent of residents voting against, would have made all County Commissioner races partisan.

If the amendment had passed, residents would be limited to vote only for candidates within their own party. That could have proven advantageous for the Democratic Party, which typically holds the majority in Orange County.