A new political mailer added controversy to an already contentious debate on how Sarasota elects county commissioners.

The Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections sent out flyers to Republican voters in the county attaching the same “Stop The Steal” language associated with former President Donald Trump’s false claims about election chicanery with a special election vote that may soon reverse a switch to single-member voting.

The mailers on one side have a picture of Trump and the phrase “Stop The Steal.” On the flip side is a picture of Democratic President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by the phrase: “Don’t Let Them Steal Our Votes Again.”

The rest of the type on the mailer lays out objections to a county referendum being voted on March 8. If passed, the county will hold county-wide elections for commissioners and abandon single-member elections, a system approved by voters less than four years ago.

Former Sarasota County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo called the latest mailers “outrageously pathetic.” He supports county-wide elections and says voters should have a say on all five commissioners. He suggested it was irresponsible to conflate emotions around the 2020 election outcome to a local political issue.

Kinda Muntz, president of SAFE, defended the language and said “Stop The Steal” is a phrase that predates the last presidential contest. “We’re not referencing that directly,” she said. “We are talking about elections and trying to steal the vote. The one we are referencing now is the one in Sarasota County. If you think back that language was used in 2018— about the original single-member districts vote.”

Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler, also supports a switch back to county-wide elections. He found the flyers laughable. “Are Sarasota Democrats finally admitting there was voter fraud in 2020,” he said, “or are they using that issue to steal Republican votes in order to influence the results of an election in Sarasota County in 2022?”

Notably, Ziegler was elected countywide in 2018 before single-member districts took effect. He now lives in a district where, as of book closing for the March election, Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans 25,790 to 23,474. The results of the March 8 referendum will determine if he runs county-wide for re-election in November or runs in a district election.

Muntz for her part said the shifty move is holding a special election now and trying to persuade voters to reverse a decision made just four years ago.