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Election 2020 Information
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On September 11, 2019, the City received a demand letter from attorney Scott J. Rafferty (“Rafferty”) which threatens legal action against the City under the California Voting Rights Act (“CVRA”) if the City does not transition from at-large to district-based elections of City Councilmembers.
On October 22, 2019, the City adopted Resolution of Intention No. 99-19 to transition from at-large to district-based elections of City Councilmembers. Under the “safe-harbor” provision, the ordinance to transition to district elections must be adopted no later than January 20, 2020.
The City Council asked the residents of Richmond to help plan the City’s change to by-district Council elections. The City of Richmond, like over 60 cities and 150 school districts across the state, is making a change in how voters elect the City Council.
Following adoption of the Resolution of Intention the City Council held public hearings on November 5, November 19, December 3, December 17, 2019, and January 14, 2020. In addition to the four public hearings, staff also held City Council Voting District Community Workshops on November 14 and November 18, 2019, at the Council Chamber; December 5, 2019, at Hilltop Community Church (Activity Room), 3118 Shane Drive, Richmond; December 10, 2019, at Booker T. Anderson Community Center, 960 S. 47th Street, Richmond, and January 6, 2020, at Veteran’s Hall, 968 23rd Street, Richmond.
On January 14, 2020, the City Council introduced and adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 03-20 N.S. The City Council also introduce an ordinance (first reading) adopting sections 2.16.050 (City Council Election Districts and Sequencing) and 2.16.060 (City Council Residency) of the Richmond Municipal Code to transition from at-large to by-district elections of City Councilmembers. The City Council selected map 115b to establish voting district boundaries and set the election sequence to 1, 5, and 6.
On January 21, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 04-20 N.S. adopting sections 2.16.050 (City Council Election Districts and Sequencing) and 2.16.060 (City Council Residency) of the Richmond Municipal Code to transition from at-large to by-district elections of City Councilmembers.
Beginning with the November 3, 2020, General Election, City Councilmembers will be elected by district for Districts 1, 5, and 6.
Councilmembers up for reelection in 2020 include:
Ben Choi
Jael Myrick
Melvin Willis
More information will be posted to this page as the process moves forward.
Anticipated Meeting Schedule (updated 11/20/2019)
DATE | EVENT | COMMENT |
November 5, 2019 | 1st Public Hearing | Council to receive input from community to be used to draw preliminary district maps. No maps yet drawn. |
November 14, 2019 November 18, 2019 | Community Workshops #1 & #2 | Staff provides a presentation regarding the move to district elections, demonstrates the mapping tools and receives input on map designs. City Council Chamber, 450 Civic Center Plaza at 6:30 p.m. |
November 19, 2019 | 2nd Public Hearing | Council to receive additional input from community to be used to draw preliminary district maps. No maps yet drawn. |
November 21, 2019 | Initial Map Submission Deadline | Deadline to submit maps that will be posted November 26 and considered by Council at third public hearing. |
November 26, 2019 | Publish Draft Maps and Potential Sequence of Elections. | Maps will be posted at least 7 days prior to the third public hearing. |
December 3, 2019 | 3rd Public Hearing | Regarding draft maps and proposed sequence of elections. |
December 5, 2019 | Community Workshop #3 | Staff to receive input from community regarding communities of interest and draft maps submitted for review. Hilltop Community Church (Activity Room), 3118 Shane Drive, Richmond at 7:00 p.m. |
December 6, 2019 | Revised Maps Deadline | Deadline to submit revisions to posted maps that will be posted December 10 and considered by Council at fourth public hearing. |
| December 10, 2019 | Community Workshop #4 | Staff to receive input from community regarding posted maps. Booker T. Anderson Community Center, 960 S 47th Street, Richmond at 7:00 p.m. |
December 17, 2019 | 4th Public Hearing | Expected that Council will select map to establish district boundaries, introduce an ordinance establishing district elections, and determine election sequence. |
| January 6, 2020 | Final Community Workshop | Staff to receive input from community on which district map best represents Richmond for future elections. Veterans Memorial Hall, 968 23rd Street, Richmond at 6:30 p.m. |
January 14, 2020 | 5th Public Hearing | Expected that Council will adopt maps and ordinance establishing district elections. |
Draft Maps
The most detailed way to see each draft map is using the interactive review map. The link takes you to a website where you can view all of the maps and zoom in and out to see the map details.
A printable PDF version of each proposed map is below, including a 2nd page providing the demographics of each district in each map:
Map 101 Alternative Map 101b Alternative Map 101c
Map 103 Alternative Map 103b Alternative Map 103c Alternative Map 103d
Map 104 Map 105 Map 106 Map 107 Map 108 Map 109 Map 110 Map 111 Map 112 Map 113
A listing of the comments submitted by each map author (including the name of each map’s author) is available here at this link:
Plan Submitter Comments (updated 12-10-19)
The proposed election sequence for each map (listing which districts are proposed for 2020 elections, and which for 2022) is available here at this link:
Proposed Election Sequence by Plan (updated 1-9-2020)
The National Demographics Corporation report on plan tiers (with maps grouped by legally safest by the Federal and State criteria) is available here at this link:
Draw A Map
Districting is different than most issues that come before the City Council. Instead of being limited to saying you support or oppose a City-prepared ordinance or resolution, you can draw a map yourself!
Partial map drawings and maps drawn to show only your specific areas of interest are acceptable.
There are a variety of map-drawing tools available below:
1. Paper-only maps
Tools needed:
2. Paper maps with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to calculate population totals
Tools needed:
- Public Participation Kit - Paper Map w/ Population ID#s (in English or Spanish)
- Public Participation Kit - Excel Spreadsheet (in English or Spanish)
3. Online mapping tool to draw maps census block by census block and submit maps electronically.
Optional tutorials and guides:
- Mapping tool reference sheet (one-page) (in English or Spanish)
- Mapping tool quick start guide (in English or Spanish)
- Mapping tool training videos—a series of short 90-120 second videos
4. Interactive Review Map to zoom in and out on map boundaries, view population counts/ID#s, and view draft maps (once the draft maps are released).
Tools needed:
Submit maps to Richmond@NDCresearch.com or to the City Clerk’s office (maps drawn using the online mapping tool are submitted electronically). After you submit your map, the City’s demographic consultants will generate the population and other demographic details for your proposed map.
All draft maps will be posted seven days in advance of the City Council hearing. Maps can be viewed on the Draft Maps page or on the Interactive Review Map.
Deadline for submitting maps:
November 21, 2019 (for consideration at the December 3 public hearing)
December 6, 2019 (for consideration at the December 17 public hearing)
Questions about using the kits?
For any questions about using the kits, contact Douglas Johnson or Shalice Tilton from National Demographics Consultants: Phone: (310) 200-2058; E-Mail: djohnson@NDCresearch.com or stilton@NDCresearch.com.
Additional Questions? Please Contact Us!
U.S. Mail: City Clerk’s Office, 450 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: (510) 620-6513
E-mail: cityclerkdept@ci.richmond.ca.us
DISTRICT ELECTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s)
What is the City of Richmond’s current election system?
- The City of Richmond uses an at-large election system that allows all registered voters in the City to elect Councilmembers and the Mayor.
What are district elections?
- For Richmond, the City would be divided into six separate districts, and only the voters that live within each district get to elect a City Councilmember from that district.
- The Mayor would continue to be elected at-large.
Why is the City of Richmond considering going from at-large to district elections?
On September 11, 2019, the City of Richmond received a letter from Attorney At Law Scott J. Rafferty alleging that its at-large council member electoral system violates the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). This type of letter is the first step a party must take to later bring a CVRA lawsuit against a City. While the City is confident that its current electoral system does not run afoul of the CVRA or any other provision of law, the City Council has determined that the public interest would be best served by considering the transition to a district-based electoral system because:
(1) The high cost to defend against a CVRA lawsuit,
(2) The risk of losing such a lawsuit, which would require the City to pay the prevailing plaintiffs' attorneys' fees, and
(3) A jurisdiction can limit the amount of its liability to prospective plaintiffs and their attorneys to a maximum amount of $30,000 for reimbursable expenses and costs (the "safe harbor provision")
What are the criteria for creating election districts?
In addition to complying with the Federal Voting Rights Act and federal law, the criteria for creating districts include:
- Districts should be nearly equal in population
- Districts must be geographically contiguous
- Neighborhoods and communities of interest
- Clear visible (natural & man-made) boundaries
- Compact (Do not bypass one group of people to get to a more distant group of people).
How will the election district boundaries be decided?
- The City Council will take comments from residents and interested community groups at two public hearings to understand the community’s view of where district boundaries should be drawn.
- The City Council will then define the criteria they want a demographer to use in creating one or more proposed district maps. The demographer’s goal will be to draw map options that meet the criteria, and that takes into account comments from the community as prioritized by the City Council.
- The draft maps will be presented for public comment and review at two additional City Council public hearings.
- At those hearings, the City Council will provide further direction to the demographer, who will revise the map or maps, which will then go before the City Council at a fifth public hearing for a final vote and adoption of the ordinance.
How can I participate in the decision-making process?
- You and your neighbors are encouraged to attend the public hearings (see meeting schedule below) as the community’s input in developing the voting districts is very important to this process.
Anticipated Meeting Schedule:
DATE | EVENT | COMMENT |
November 5, 2019 | 1st Public Hearing | Council to receive input from community to be used to draw preliminary district maps. No maps yet drawn. |
November 14, 2019 November 18, 2019 | Community Workshop#1 and #2 | Staff provides a presentation regarding the move to district elections, demonstrates the mapping tools and receives input on map designs. |
November 19, 2019 | 2nd Public Hearing | Council to receive additional input from community to be used to draw preliminary district maps. No maps yet drawn. |
November 21, 2019 | Initial Map Submission Deadline | Deadline to submit maps that will be posted November 26 and considered by Council at third public hearing. |
November 26, 2019 | Publish Draft Maps and Potential Sequence of elections. | Maps will be posted at least 7 days prior to the third public hearing. |
December 3, 2019 | 3rd Public Hearing | Regarding draft maps and proposed sequence of elections. |
December 5, 2019 | Community Workshop#3 7 - 8:30 p.m. Hilltop Community Church (Activity Room) 3118 Shane Drive, Richmond | Staff to receive input from community regarding draft maps submitted for review. |
December 6, 2019 December 10, 2019 | Revised Maps Deadline Community Workshop#4 7 - 8:30 p.m. Booker T. Anderson Community Center 960 S. 47th Street, Richmond | Deadline to submit revisions to posted maps that will be posted December 10 and considered by Council at fourth public hearing. Staff to receive input from community regarding posted maps. |
December 17, 2019 | 4th Public Hearing | Expected that Council will select map to establish district boundaries, introduce an ordinance establishing district elections, and determine election sequence. |
January 14, 2020 | Expected that Council will adopt maps and ordinance establishing district elections. |
All meetings will be held at the City Council Chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza, beginning at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise determined. Check the City’s website for individual meeting materials.
Once voting districts are established, how often are their boundaries reviewed?
- The voting districts will be reviewed every ten years following the Census.
- The next Census will be conducted in 2020, so the voting districts will be reviewed after the Census counts are released, and revised as necessary. The district revisions are anticipated to occur sometime in 2021.
Additional Questions? Please Contact Us!
U.S. Mail: City Clerk’s Office, 450 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond, CA 94804 Phone: (510) 620-6513Website:
E-mail: cityclerkdept@ci.richmond.ca.us
Letter from Attorney Scott J. Rafferty (September 11, 2019)
Staff Report (October 22, 2019)
Resolution of Intention No. 99-19 (October 22, 2019)
Implementation Timeline (updated November 20, 2019)
Staff Report (November 5, 2019)
National Demographics Corporation (NDC) Presentation (November 5, 2019)
Staff Report (November 19, 2019)
Community Workshop #1 Presentation (November 14, 2019) and Video (full version)
Community Workshop #2 Audio (November 18, 2019)
Email from Attorney Scott J. Rafferty (November 27, 2019)
Staff Report (December 3, 2019)
NDC Presentation (December 3, 2019)
Community Workshop #3 Presentation (December 5, 2019) and Audio
Email from Attorney Scott J. Rafferty (December 6, 2019)
Community Workshop #4 Presentation (December 10, 2019) and Audio
Staff Report (December 17, 2019)
NDC Presentation (December 17, 2019)
Community Workshop #5 Presentation (January 6, 2020) and Audio
Staff Report (January 14, 2020)
Adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 03-20 N.S. (January 14, 2020)
Adopted Map 115b (January 14, 2020)
Election Sequencing Information (January 14, 2020)
Staff Report (January 21, 2020)
Adopted Ordinance No. 04-20 N.S. (January 21, 2020)
Public Hearing Notices
Notice of Public Hearing No. 1 - November 5, 2019
Notice of Public Hearing No. 2 - November 19, 2019
Notice of Public Hearing No. 3 - December 3, 2019
Notice of Public Hearing No. 4 - December 17, 2019