It’s a challenge for outside observers to draw the political battle lines in West Middlesex Township. That’s because the objectives in this battle have not been clearly stated.

Apparently it’s about increasing the size of the board of supervisors; if not that, then it’s a backlash response to the board’s refusal to restrict future drilling for natural gas; or, more broadly, it’s about changing times versus preservation of a rural way of life. And at its root is an anti-fracking group determined not to accept defeat.

The group of residents has circulated a petition seeking to enlarge the current board from three supervisors to five. The petition succeeded, gathering 243 signatures — more than the requisite 5 percent of Middlesex Township’s 3,008 registered voters. On Wednesday, the Butler County commissioners, acting as the county board of elections, approved the Middlesex referendum for the fall ballot.

The group’s leader, Chrystal Yost, says the door-to-door petition campaign shows that citizens think five supervisors would better represent the community’s interests.

“We are a group of residents who recognize that the township is growing and changing,” Yost said last week. “After attending some meetings, I feel like adding two would give better representation to the township as a whole.”

Yost says she’s seeking the referendum as a township resident, not as a member of a Mars School District parents group seeking to stop Marcellus Shale gas drilling near school buildings. Her words imply that the two efforts are not related.

That’s a hard sell. Yost has been a vocal member of the parents group that sought a 2-mile overlay around district schools to prevent shale gas drilling near students. The supervisors did not approve the overlay. Maybe five supervisors will be more circumspect than three.

Middlesex residents deserve a salute for their political savvy. Voter turnout in the May primary election exceeded 26 percent in the township, compared with just 20 percent countywide.

The referendum question will be on the ballot, but there’s no predicting how the residents will vote. It’s a good time to recall one of the most rudimentary rules of politics: Political power is measured in terms of organized people and organized money. Whoever assembles the best campaign will ought to garner the most votes.

The problem here is that both sides in this debate must decide — and then must convey clearly to the public — what exactly they’re asking the public to decide.