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CAC 20121118_Presentation_Elections_PrimerLOCAL ELECTIONS PRIMER un 1k, PhD Center for Public Policy Ca lifor nia to n - � F ullerto n syboi LOca - ecTO'ra * • All electoral systems have multiple components that interact with each other. • Basic components and questions Membership of Council At -Large or Districts Voting methods Mayor a More than anything else, rules determine outcomes Membership of Council a Size of council Fewer seats • Theory - increase efficiency in decision making • Example: Regardless of population, most cities in OC have 5 member city councils (91 %), but this is less common outside of OC and California More seats Theory - increase participation and expand diversity Example: Indianapolis is a consolidated city that retained the previous county and city elected positions and incorporated them into the new governance structure. This resulted in an extremely large city council with 29 members (25 from districts, 4 at large) At -Large elections • Also called multiple member, single district elections • History — Began to increase in popularity in US cities during the 1950's often to reduce the impact of party bosses and political machines.* 1965 Voting Rights Act, aimed at a variety of practices including at -large districting in ethnically diverse cities. Many at -large election systems have been forced out of existence through court action. Intent to discriminate not required: outcomes as evidence At -Large elections o Officials appeal to the interest of the entire city e Citizens have access to multiple members Reduced the influence of political machines in cities where they existed Potential to increase council cohesiveness Potential to limit geographic Cons Potential suppression of minority interests Academic literature Court findings Less representative of citizenry broadly a Affluent areas are more likely to generate winning candidates fights over resources Mu Hue D-s - -- • The jurisdiction is divided into multiple sub -units or districts • Each district elects at least one representative Possible to elect more than one representative, but most commonly it is just one. Almost without exception, the representative must be a resident from within the district. Theoretically possible to remove residency requirement's from districts, but not much is known about how those districts would function. Mu Hue D-s--ir-c - ib n The historic way in the US to elect city councils. Often many very small districts and very large city councils • Movement away from districts to prevent influence of 'political machines' and patronage in some parts of the Us. • Most larger cities kept the multiple district model while smaller, suburban cities adopted at -large elections. Less than 9% (3 of the 34) OC cities have some form of district nomination or election. Mu Hue D-s � -_ • Suburban homogeneity of the population tended to remove some of the inherent problems of at -large elections • Heterogeneous (diverse) populations have accentuated the problems of at -large systems and encouraged a return to the district system model snge memoeir Mu - aek Ds o Increased diversity in representation Geographically Racial / Ethnic • More representation of neighborhood issues • Increased legitimacy of council actions Moves conflict away from extra - electoral settings into a formal setting Cons Narrower interests from elected officials They are beholden to a specific district rather than the entire city Potential for less consensus because of increased diversity Concerns over district boundaries • Gerrymandering • Who draws them? _S Cons-aewma - - - ons foym d C a District boundaries How are they drawn? • Historic neighborhoods • Geographic features Meeting VRA requirements compactness, existing political boundaries, 'communities of interest,' population variations, majority- minority, partisanship imbalances Who draws them? • Outside consultants • Council membership • Appointed board of citizens • Elected board of citizens -yopp sys Developed to integrate the two types of elections (at -large and districts) Expectation that you get the best of both systems a Many options A portion of the seats elected at large, with a portion elected from districts Runoff elections with candidates nominated by district who face each other in an at -large election V oting me hoas • There are a variety of ways to "count' votes • No method is without flaw • Most common in the US Plurality systems • First past the post (single member with the most votes) • Cumulative voting (the candidates with the most votes get the available seats) Majority systems Runoff elections P uppa i - _- o a Can be done with single member and multi- member districts (cumulative voting) Top vote getters are elected Easy to understand for voters Cons Do not necessarily produce a "majority' winner Candidates can win elections without a majority of support from their district A larger number of candidates can dilute voting coalitions Ma 41 TY 0 Runoff --- ec - - - ons 0 Pros • Always produces a majority winner • Unlimited access to the first round for all candidates Cons More expensive to administer because of multiple elections and dates • Probable effect on turnout • May decrease diversity in outcomes Popular candidates can be eliminated by vote dilution (i.e. not the voter's first choice) Election oir choice of Mayor a At Large public election Responsiveness to entire citizenry rather than localized interests a Chosen each term from council membership Stable leadership, but may be beholden to localized interests a Rotating office within the council membership Distribute agenda setting function between all members Tenure as mayor may be short or ineffectual Independence of choices • None of these choices are independent of each other • Each bundle of choices will produce different outcomes • Many cities in OC have a similar set of combinations, but there exist a wide range of combinations throughout the us. Anaheim ce Population ~ 340,000 we Demographics 52.7% White 27.5% White, not Hispanic 52.8% Hispanic 14.8 % Asian 2.8 % Black ce Council a 4 members Elected At -Large ce Mayor Elected At -Large CITY OF ANAH ,I o 4 T t `F�\ �' Comoapp son OC C -_ es - a Santa Ana a Irvine Population 330,000 Demographics 45.9% White 9.2% White, not Hispanic 78.2% Hispanic 10.5% Asian 1.5% Black a Council 6 members • Nominated from wards (districts) • Elected At -Large Mayor Elected At -Large Population 215,000 Demographics 50.5% White 45.1% White, not Hispanic 9.2% Hispanic 39.2% Asian 1.8% Black a Council 4 members Elected At -Large Mayor Elected At -Large 41 Comoapp son x_41 - - Ca a Riverside a Oakland Population 310,000 Demographics 56.5% White 34.0% White, not Hispanic 49.0% Hispanic 9 7.4% Asian 7.0% Black a Council 7 members 9 Elected from wards (districts) Mayor Elected At -Large Population 390,000 Demographics 34.5% White 25.9% White, not Hispanic 25.4% Hispanic 9 16.8% Asian 28.0% Black a Council 8 members 7 Elected from wards (districts) 1 Elected At -Large Mayor Elected At -Large 41 Comoapp son x_41 - - Ca a Stockton a Bakersfield Population 290,000 Population 350,000 Demographics Demographics 37.0% White - 56.8% White 22.9% White, not Hispanic 37.8% White, not Hispanic 40.3% Hispanic - 45.5% Hispanic 21.5% Asian - 6.2% Asian 12.2% Black - 8.2% Black a Council a Council 6 members • Nominated from wards (districts) • Elected At -Large Mayor Elected At -Large 7 members Elected from wards (districts) Mayor Elected At -Large Comoarson - - - as Orlando, Fl Arlington, TX Population 240,000 -- Population 365,000 Demographics 57.6% White 41.3% White, not Hispanic 25.4% Hispanic 3.8% Asian 28.1% Black Demographics 59.0% White 44.9% White, not Hispanic 27.4% Hispanic 6.8% Asian 18.8% Black Council 6 'Commissioners' Elected from districts Mayor Elected At -Large Council 8 members 5 Elected from districts 3 Elected At -Large Mayor Elected At -Large Components of systems • Number of seats on the council Maintain 5 or expand? • At -Large or Multiple Districts How many districts? 1 or more? Multi- member district(s) or single member districts? Some hybrid system? a Election system Plurality Simple Cumulative Majority Runoff a Choice of Mayor Resolution 2012 -090 Potential changes in the City's election systems, including election by district, residency- required districts, continuing with an at -large elected mayor or resuming Anaheim's historic system of having the mayor appointed by the council, the number of districts, if any; cumulative voting; traditional voting; and the date of elections; I How to encourage voter registration; �e How to identify and engage community groups that can assist the City with encouraging resident participation in elections and in local government decision- making; What language assistance programs would be cost effective to encourage resident participation in city elections and local government decision making; and Other techniques, approaches, methods, or alternatives that, in the estimation of the Committee, should be considered by the City Council or recommended to groups or agencies with the ability to act to promote the participation of racial and ethnic minorities in the electoral process. o a a m a o November - Elections Systems Primer and overview of a process for the Citizens Advisory Committee on Elections and Community involvement (CAC). December - Discussion of the CA Voting Rights Act; Study of local demographics and historical trends by Demographer. January — Discussion and decisions on potential electoral designs. January- Continued discussions and decisions on potential electoral designs. February- How to identify and encourage citizen engagement in elections. March- Tools to encourage voter registration; Language assistance programs; other techniques to promote participation. April- Discussion and approval of CAC Recommendations report. May- Presentation of CAC Recommendations to City Council.