Letter: Support plan three on Linn County redistricting

A special election is scheduled in Linn County for Aug. 1 to select one of the three county supervisor representation plans allowed by state law. Absentee voting is already underway.

I strongly support Plan 3. Under this plan, one supervisor is elected from each equal-population district and must live in the district they are elected to represent.

Linn County has used Plan 3 to elect supervisors since 2008. Before 2008, supervisors were elected at-large.

I served as a Linn County supervisor under both at-large and district representation. From that experience, I can tell you that most people strongly prefer being represented by a supervisor from a smaller, distinct district.

District representation means that supervisors will be elected from different parts of Cedar Rapids, from one of the other 17 Linn County cities, and from the unincorporated rural area of the county. This will help ensure that multiple areas of the county will be able to elect a supervisor and that no one is left unrepresented.

Representation from multiple areas of the county, in Iowa's second most populated county, is important to help make sure that everyone has a chance to be heard.

Please join me in voting for Plan 3.

Lu Barron

Cedar Rapids