The city of Fullerton, CA has agreed to let voters decide whether it will elect supervisors by districts, reports KPCC.
The agreement is part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union against the at large voting system.
Both groups charged at large elections are a violation of the Voting Rights Act of California by denying Asian Americans and other minorities the opportunity to get elected.
The agreement also settles a lawsuit filed on behalf of Latinos in 2014.
The agreement outlines how the district maps will be drawn up and decided upon before being submitted to voters.
“We hope the residents of Fullerton will come out in full force during the community meetings to inform the city how they define their neighborhoods and communities of interest,” said Deanna Kitamura, supervising attorney for Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s Democracy Project. “We will be monitoring the mapping process and advocating that communities are kept whole during the line drawing process.”
You can read how this settlement may be part of a larger trend on KPCC.
