Tim Moffitt (R-Buncombe) recently pushed legislation that would require Buncombe County commissioners to represent districts. All commissioners now are elected and serve at-large. Conservative activists, many of whom are of the R-persuasion, have long supported district elections because it would give a larger voice to rural populations. For several years, they have felt the county was overwhelmingly represented by downtown interests. Moffitt’s bill passed, and now the county commissioners, all of the D-persuasion, are proposing holding a referendum to determine whether or not the bill will go into effect.