Council selects map that plots transition to district-based elections

After a series of public hearings and gathering community input about the transition to district-based representation and elections, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to select Map A. This action followed a presentation by the Center for Demographic Research about the data that went into the center's creation of Map A. 

The move to district-based elections is something the City and many residents have opposed since the City - like many other cities - was sued by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, which claimed its at-large election system diluted the vote of the Latino community and violated the California Voting Rights Act. It was determined that Mission Viejo's unique demographic and geographic characteristics made district-based voting a poor remedy to empower minority voters and cure the unintended violation of the California Voting Rights Act identified in 2018. To achieve a remedy, the Orange County Superior Court approved a jointly submitted motion to make cumulative voting a reality in Mission Viejo. However, despite the Council's extraordinary efforts on behalf of this community, the State did not allow the cumulative voting method in Mission Viejo or any City absent legislative action in Sacramento, and the decision was made to move to a district-based election system beginning in November.

Following careful consideration of Map A - drawn by the Center for Demographic Research - and other maps created by residents, the Council determined that Map A best preserved existing school district and attendance boundaries, while also keeping homeowners' associations and housing tract neighborhoods intact - critical for Mission Viejo families and residents. Map A also aligned with existing features of the City including major arterial roads and geographical features.

With the selection of Map A, a new ordinance will be drafted and submitted at an upcoming Council Meeting to codify the selection.

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