Redistricting and your vote

Lincoln's election process continues to evolve. The city has historically elected its council persons (and city treasurer) with a city-wide, at-large election. The alternative structure is political districts and this has been the norm in larger cities. The switch to district elections for medium-sized cities has recently increased in California, with 57 cities making the transition in 2018 alone. Why district elections? The theory is to broaden the opportunity for minority groups to elect representatives of their choice, versus potentially being drowned out in a city-wide election. Another benefit is that one individual is specifically looking out after their direct constituents. A negative is that the "community-as-a-whole" concept can be reduced. Lincoln is a rapidly growing, mid-sized city (190th of the 500 California cities) and therefore at risk of a potential lawsuit to force the city into district elections. We were, in fact, threatened with a legal action in 2019. For technical and defensive reasons, the City Council's decision was to bite the "switch" bullet sooner rather than later and went pre-emptive for the 2020 City Council election with creation of five districts based on 2010 U.S. Census data. Three of the five new districts were included in the 2020 election cycle, the outcome of which demonstrated the adage about the "law of unintended consequences" when none of the seats were contested. Under an at-large system, it is highly likely that the seats would have been contested. When using the district election option, redistricting occurs with every 10-year U.S. Census. In most cities, not much changes because population growth is usually nominal. Lincoln, however, grew from 11,205 in 2000 to 42,963 in 2010 and is now at 49,101 residents. Going forward, we will likely be again one of California's fastest-growing cities as we make our way to 120,000 residents by 2050. Each new Census, therefore, should drive some interesting changes in our election district structure. So now we know the "why." How about the "'how?" On the surface, pretty simple: make each district essentially proportionate in terms of numbers. We have five council persons and a 50,000 population, so the result is roughly 10,000 residents in each district. Another requirement is that the district be reasonably contiguous. Defining boundaries to specifically favor one or more incumbents is certainly to be avoided but has been known to have happened. (There's even a name for this, "gerrymandering," which has its roots based on actions by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry who had districts drawn, circa 1812, that looked suspiciously like a salamander.) There are several steps in drawing up political boundary lines: First, use the current Census. Done. Second, decide who will draw the boundary lines: consultants, private citizens or a political or governmental group such as the City Council (or, in the case of Placer County, the county Planning Commission). Lincoln chose a private citizen group drawn from applicants and approved by the City Council. They will be assisted by a consultant specializing in demographics. Done. Third, determine whether the boundary decision will be presented as a finished product to be immediately implemented or as options to the deciding political body (City Council) for resolution. Lincoln's boundaries will be drawn by the citizen group – from their analysis plus any maps submitted by the public - and presented in final form to City Council no later than Feb. 15, 2022, which will then implement the commission's decision. The 11-member redistricting panel is just getting underway. Per the city's website: "The Commission will be empowered to adopt the district boundaries, without City Council approval. The district map developed by the Commission must follow all local, state, and federal laws, be substantially equal in population, and be geographically contiguous. The Commission will conduct at least four public hearings, with at least one prior to maps being drawn. Maps drawn by the Commission will be available for public review for seven days prior to the Commission conducting a public hearing for adoption." After this process, the City Council will formally adopt the new boundary lines in time for the November 2022 elections. The two districts to be contested in 2022 are currently held by (Mayor) Alyssa Silhi and (Vice Mayor) Holly Andreatta. Will their homes still be in separate districts? Will they both run? Will they be opposed? Stay tuned. Richard Pearl is a Lincoln resident and retired consultant to local governments. He is also the elected City Treasurer. This column represents only his personal, and not elected, opinions. The goal of the column is to present issues that impact City residents in an impartial and understandable format. He can be reached at richardpearl.lnm@gmail.com.