The debate over at-large voting in the city of Gainesville isn't going away anytime soon, according to one advocacy group.
The Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) claims the system dilutes minority voting power, and Executive Director Jerry Gonzalez indicated that Maria Palacios, who recently lost her bid to unseat incumbent George Wangemann on the city council, may have been able to win an election inside a defined city district.
The at-large system does not have designated voting districts, even though council posts are divided into geographic "wards." Voters across the city choose the candidate for a given ward, regardless of whether or not the voter lives in the ward's boundaries.
Proponents of the system say it forces elected officials to consider the whole city's welfare, instead of trying to divert funds and support for one particular part of town.
Critics say the system dilutes minority votes, especially if minorities are concentrated in one part of town. Leaders in the local African-American and Hispanic communities previously formed a "Black-Brown Alliance" in Gainesville to oppose the at-large system.
GALEO has previously stated that Gainesville has several wards that are a Hispanic majority, but there has yet to be a Hispanic candidate elected to the Gainesville City Council.
"[Palacios] ran a very strong campaign, and unfortunately came in second place, and I think it demonstrates that the at-large voting system works against minority communities," said Gonzalez.
"We'll be continuing to have conversations with the city of Gainesville to move forward, and eliminate at-large voting in the city."
Wangemann garnered 573 votes to Palacios's 218. A third candidate, Albert Reeves, drew only 92 votes in Tuesday's election.
Litigation was brought against the city — not by GALEO — in 1996, and GALEO announced another lawsuit in 2013, though as of Nov. 2017, the lawsuit had not been filed.
Neither push has been successful in eliminating the at-large system.
