Specification of Criterial to Guide the Establishment of Electoral Districts

• Each district must have substantially equal population as determined by the census.
• Race cannot be the predominant factor or criteria when drawing districts.
• Council districts shall not be adopted for the purpose of favoring or discriminating against a political party.
• Incarcerated persons may not be counted toward a city’s population, except if their last known place of residence is assigned to a census block in the city.
• The districting plan must comply with the Federal Voting Rights Act, which prohibits districts from diluting minority voting rights and encourages a majority-minority district if the minority group is sufficiently large and such a district can be drawn without race being the predominant factor.
• The City Council shall adopt district boundaries using the following criteria as set forth in the following order of priority:
  • To the extent practicable, council districts shall be geographically contiguous.  Areas that meet only at the points of adjoining corners are not contiguous.  Areas that are separated by water and not connected by a bridge, tunnel, or regular ferry service are not contiguous.
  • To the extent practicable, the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest shall be respected in a manner that minimizes its division.  A “community of interest” is a population that shares common social or economic interests that should be included within a single district for purposes of its effective and fair representation (e.g., school district boundaries, neighborhood boundaries, homeowners’ associations, retail/commercial districts, etc.).  Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
  • Council district boundaries should be easily identifiable and understandable by residents.  To the extent practicable, council districts shall be bounded by natural and artificial barriers, by streets, or by the boundaries of the city.
  • To the extent practicable, and where it does not conflict with the preceding criteria, council districts shall be drawn to encourage geographical compactness in a manner that nearby areas of population are not bypassed in favor of more distant populations.