The Sarasota City Commission now has 4,732 reasons to enable voters to decide whether to change their voting schedule.

Decide the Date Sarasota, a campaign that has support from the political left and right, gathered that many certified petitions — 996 more than required — calling for a referendum on the city’s stand-alone elections.

The City Commission’s job will be to conduct a public hearing, adopt an ordinance and seek the initiative’s placement on the ballot; the commission should do so with deliberate speed, so the question can be posed to municipal voters in the November general election.