Eureka, California, By-District City Council Elections, Measure P (November 2016)
| Measure P: Eureka By-District City Council Elections |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 Approved
|
| Topic: |
| Local election and voting laws |
| Related articles |
| Local election and voting laws on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Humboldt County, California ballot measures Local charter amendments on the ballot |
| See also |
| Eureka, California |
A by-district city council elections charter amendment was on the ballot for Eureka voters in Humboldt County, California, on November 8, 2016. The measure was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of changing the city council election system from an "at-large" system to a "by-district" system. |
| A no vote was a vote against changing the city council election system from an "at-large" system to a "by-district" system. |
Election results
| Measure P | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 5,625 | 57.6% | ||
| No | 4,140 | 42.4% | ||
- Election results from Humbolt County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall Section 201 of the Charter of the City of Eureka be amended to allow voters to elect a City Councilmember to represent them from the ward in which the residents are registered to vote?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Eureka City Attorney:
| “ |
Section 201 of the Eureka City Charter provides that each member of the City Council, except the Mayor, must reside within the ward he or she represents, but can win election if he/she receives a majority of the votes cast from throughout the City. This is called an “At-Large” electoral system. Measure P, seeks majority voter approval to amend Section 201 of the City Charter to change the City’s electoral system from an “At-Large” system to a “By-District” system. In a By-District system, each member of the City Council, except for the Mayor, would still have to reside within the district he/she represents, but could only be elected to the City Council if he/she achieves a majority of the votes within that district. The City Council voted on July 5, 2016 to place Measure P on the ballot. If a majority of the voters approve Measure P, the City’s first By-District council election will occur in 2018. A “yes” vote on Measure P would favor changing the current system to a ByDistrict system. A “no” vote would keep the current At-Large system in place.[2] |
” |
| —Eureka City Attorney[1] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[1]
- Natalie Arroyo
- Kim Bergel
- Linda Atkins
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[1]
| “ |
TRUE WARD-TRUE VOICE Eureka’s election system requires a candidate to live in their ward, but be voted on by the whole city. This makes running an expensive process that has led to Eureka Council elections that have cost anywhere from $10,000 to $90,000+, even with contribution limits in place. Many good working people look at these amounts and give up on running. Contribution limits don’t limit the amount candidates can raise, they just limit the amount individuals can give. Eureka’s wealthy find ways to funnel money to some candidates through legal loopholes. Who has this kind of money? Not many, with our median income of under $22,000 a year here in Eureka. This system rewards the wealthy, while making it extremely challenging for other candidates to have a chance in Eureka. Our City deserves to have a City Council who represents all of its residents. In a True Ward system, you vote for a representative for your neighborhood, you decide if you like what that person stands for, and if they will represent you well. Right now, those candidates who are supported by wealthy donors can plaster the city with signs and fill the airways with ads, while regular working people who understand many of Eureka’s issues due to their first-hand experience can be shut out. Our current city-wide elections allow candidates to lose the election in their own ward – their own neighborhood – and still win election to the Council. This has happened more than once in our city. A True Ward system is also the only one proven to stand up to legal challenges under the California Voting Rights Act, and it will encourage more candidates to run – giving YOU more choice. It’s the truly democratic system. Vote for a TRUE VOICE in Eureka.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[1]
- Marian Brady
- Mike Newman
- Melinda Ciarabellini
- Rex Bohn
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[1]
| “ |
Should this measure be approved, 80% of Eureka’s voters won’t have a say in who represents them on the City Council in any given election. The ward system of voting in a city the size of Eureka is as far from a representative democracy as possible. The promoters of this ill-advised change want to limit the number of people who elect City Council members. Under this measure the voter would only be able to participate in electing the ONE councilmember living in their ward. They would not be able to vote in the election of councilmembers in the other four wards. As a result, the city would have five councilmembers answerable to the constituents of their respective wards and not to the citizens of the city as a whole. This may lead to more infighting and be less likely to prioritize the good of the city over the good of their ward. It is a false argument to suggest that smaller voting areas will attract more diverse candidates in order not to be sued for having racially polarized voting. There is zero evidence that there is a minority voting bloc that is being excluded from political representation. Our present “hybrid” system allows for the best of both worlds. Each City Council candidate must be registered to vote and live in their ward, however the entire city gets to vote for candidates in all five wards of the Eureka City Council. In our population of 27,000 with 15,000 registered voters, of which about 3,000 reside in each ward, with an average of 60% voting per election, a mere 900 (50% + 1) people could elect one councilmember. The remaining 9,000 voters HAVE NO SAY in who represents them. VOTE NO ON P![2] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Eureka, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Eureka Local election and voting laws. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
 |
State of California Sacramento (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
