CHARLES TOWN -- Jefferson County citizens will decide on a controversial zoning proposal Nov. 7 that proponents say would better protect the area's farmland from large-scale housing developments.

As of Nov. 2, more than 1,000 citizens had cast ballots in early voting, said Nikki Painter, the county's chief deputy clerk of elections. The early voting period was scheduled to end Nov. 4.

About 22,000 registered voters who live in Jefferson County outside any municipality are eligible to cast a ballot in the special election. The county has about 33,000 voters on its rolls.

Painter said surprisingly few people have been turned away from early voting because they live in Charles Town or another incorporated part of the county. She said there has been confusion, however, about the vote and another special election slated for next month.

Some residents already have shown up at the courthouse to vote on whether to allow table games at Charles Town Races and Slots, Painter said. That referendum -- one that voters rejected in a special election in mid-2007 -- is scheduled for Dec. 5. Early voting starts Nov. 13.

Jennifer M. Brockman, who became the county's director of planning and zoning in May, said preservation of agricultural land is at the center of the proposal, which would replace zoning rules that have been in place since 1988.

"When the county updated its comprehensive plan in 2004, a lot of public input was involved, and preserving the county's rural character and agricultural heritage was deemed a priority," Brockman said. "The new rules encourage development closer to urbanized areas, where public services are available."

Another key factor is a provision that a percentage of homes built in a development meet affordable housing requirements.

The public vote on the ordinance comes following a citizen petition organized late last year after members of the Jefferson County Commission approved the new rules in October 2008.

"These rules were actually in place for two months last year until the court accepted the citizens' petition in January," Brockman said. "And then because of turnover among some of the county's administrators, it was decided not to hold the public referendum until November."

Opponents of the measure have described the new rules as restrictive and a further weakening of landowners' rights.

Brockman said she spoke to county residents about the zoning proposal more than six times in recent weeks, including a public forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters at Jefferson High School and another organized at the Shepherdstown Men's Club in downtown Shepherdstown.

"My role hasn't been to advocate one set over another but simply to offer information about what's in place now and what would change under the new ordinance," Brockman said.