San Luis Obispo residents are encouraged to attend the upcoming City Council meeting to hear about a proposed change to the City’s current election system.

On November 19, 2024, the City Council will consider a new way of electing Councilmembers called “Citywide Single Vote” rather than dividing San Luis Obispo into districts, starting in the 2026 Municipal Election.

“The City is working to increase voter and candidate participation to further advance fair, diverse representation in local elections,” said City Attorney Christine Dietrick. “We have been asked to divide our community into voting districts, where voters would only be allowed to vote in every other Council election cycle for one candidate who would have to live in the same district as the voter. We believe that switching to a Citywide Single Vote as an alternative to district elections will better serve the voters of SLO.”

If the City Council approves the Citywide Single Vote for elections, all members of the community would continue to participate in every Council election cycle, each voter will have one vote regardless of how many City Council seats are open, minority voters would have a better chance electing their preferred candidates, and the top two candidates with the most votes in each Council election would each win a Council seat. The way the mayor is elected will stay the same; voters will continue to directly elect the mayor every two years.

Tuesday’s discussion follows almost two years of negotiations between the City and the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, a group that asked the City in February 2023 to create voting districts. The group argued that the City’s current at-large election system violates the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), which aims to protect minority voters from having their votes diluted.

However, given the unique demographics and community connections in San Luis Obispo, the City believes that dividing SLO into districts might actually reduce voting equity.

“Our analysis is that dividing San Luis Obispo up into districts will have unintended negative impacts and will set our community’s progress back,” Dietrick said. “Instead, we have worked collaboratively with voting rights advocates to propose meaningful election changes that will elevate equity, collaboration, and community in our local elections process. We encourage public participation and public comment on this topic prior to or at Tuesday’s meeting.”

Beyond the electoral system changes, the City is also continuing work to increase diverse representation in City government over the next four years. In fact, a recently approved, community-driven DEI Strategic Plan will serve as a roadmap for inviting the community to help create spaces for equitable and diverse representation in local government. To learn more and get involved, visit www.slocity.org/DEI.

The City Council meeting will take place in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.

For information on how to share your thoughts with the Council, download the City Council meeting agenda at www.slocity.org/agendas.

Parking: Attendees of City Council or Advisory Body meetings are eligible to receive one hour of complementary parking in one of two public parking garages downtown; restrictions apply, visit Parking for Public Meetings for more details.

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Media Contact: Christine Dietrick, City Attorney, 805.781.7140, cdietric@slocity.org