Opponent’s to Anaheim’s at-large voting system will have their day in court, in March of 2014. After a series of delays, the trial judge has scheduled the ACLU and City of Anaheim to appear in her court for a ten-day trial beginning on March 17, 2014.
The trial had already been delayed several times as the Court allowed the City leeway to work on its own resolution, including establishing a citizens’ advisory committee to recommend changes to the City Council. That committee recommended putting the question of at-large voting versus district-based voting to the people in an upcoming election. However, the Council largely discarded that recommendation and instead established a hybrid response, where candidates would have to live in specific districts but would be elected in an at-large election.
The ACLU, which is representing Latino activists in the case, say that such a system will continue to disenfranchise minority voters. Anaheim is 53 percent Latino, but there are no Latino members on the City Council.
The City has argued that the new system will alleviate racial concerns and should not be assumed to be prejudicial before it has a chance to prove its effectiveness.
Read the full article at the Voice of OC.