June 2018 Special Election: District Elections/Voting Method Ballot Measure (Measure A)

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Two Districts. One Santa Clara.

Educational Information on Measure A

Election information was provided as a public service by the City of Santa Clara in the form of three different educational mailers, which are available in multiple different languages below:

Measure A Mailer 1 English
Measure A Mailer 1 Hindi
Measure A Mailer 1 Korean
Measure A Mailer 1 Mandarin
Measure A Mailer 1 Tagalog
Measure A Mailer 1 Portuguese
Measure A Mailer 1 Spanish
Measure A Mailer 1 Vietnamese

Measure A Mailer 2 English
Measure A Mailer 2 Hindi
Measure A Mailer 2 Korean
Measure A Mailer 2 Mandarin
Measure A Mailer 2 Tagalog
Measure A Mailer 2 Portuguese
Measure A Mailer 2 Spanish
Measure A Mailer 2 Vietnamese

Measure A Mailer 3 English
Translated materials for Mailer 3 upon request

Where to Vote

For the June 5 Statewide Primary Election, the City of Santa Clara has several locations available to the community to vote. See the complete list of locations and hours for Santa Clara polling centers.

Introduction & Background

On March 6, 2018 the Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously to place the Santa Clara District Election and Voting Method Measure, known as Measure A, on the June 5, 2018 ballot. Measure A will be the only measure on the June 5 Special Election, and will, if approved by voters, update the way Santa Clara voters elect local officeholders. Measure A was placed on the ballot following substantial community engagement from residents and grassroots input on the districts and voting methods.

Background

Over the last 10 years, the Santa Clara City Council and its residents have been engaged in efforts to update how the City elects local officeholders. These efforts culminated last year in a Charter Review Committee being established and Measure A being placed on the ballot. The thirteen-member Charter Review Committee, composed of volunteer City residents appointed by City Council, convened in April 2017. The Charter Review Committee met ten times in public sessions to develop recommendations for how future local officeholders should be elected in a fair and equitable way, among other issues. To view the minutes of these Committee deliberations, please visit the Charter Review Committee's webpage.

Following the Charter Review Committee’s final recommendations, the Council established the Ad-Hoc Districting Advisory Committee, with the mandate of determining recommended maps for the City Council. As noted by the City Attorney, the Ad-Hoc Districting Advisory Committee worked within the Council’s directions and approved a recommended map that will be in place should Measure A pass in June.

The Santa Clara City Council placed Measure A on the ballot following its review of the Committee’s unanimous recommendations on how to update the manner in which local elections are conducted, and approval of the City Attorney’s proposed ballot language. Measure A was placed on the June ballot following extensive community input through two committees composed of volunteer city residents, who received input from hundreds of residents through the City’s 16 public hearings and online platforms.

Measure A Ballot Measure Proposition

Measure A, the Santa Clara District Election and Voting Method Measure, reads as follows:

Shall the City Charter be amended: to establish two districts starting in 2018 to be represented by three council members each; and when available, use ranked choice voting to allow voters to select candidates in order of choice to determine the winners of elections of all city elected officers?

If approved by voters, Measure A would update the way Santa Clara voters elect local officeholders as follows:

Establishes two voting districts, with registered voters electing three Council Members per district

A district boundary map will be recommended to the Council on May 8, following a series of four public hearings held by the Ad-hoc Advisory Districting Committee.
Candidates seeking election to the Santa Clara City Council are required to reside within the district they are running in and only voters residing in the district can vote on Candidates from the district.

The Mayor, City Clerk and Police Chief would remain elected Citywide

Establishes a voting process known as “ranked choice voting” for all city candidates for office.

The single transferable method of ranked choice voting would be implemented by ordinance.

The election by the most votes cast would continue to be used to determine the winner until the Registrar of Voters can implement the new voting method.

Please continue to visit this website for updates and additional information about Measure A. In addition to local measures, the June election includes other legislative candidates and statewide issues. For information about how to vote in the June election, visit the Santa Clara Registrar of Voter's website.

Proposed District Boundary Map

The proposed district boundaries, to be finalized by the City Council on the May 8^th, 2018 City Council meeting, stem from over a year of community engagement through the City’s Charter Review Committees and Ad-Hoc Districting Advisory Committee. At the Council’s direction, two commissions solicited and received valued community input over the course of 16 community hearings.

The Council proceeded with the Charter Review Committee’s recommended two-district plan as an effective means to increase Council diversity. The proposed district boundary map [insert link here] satisfies the two criteria for a legal map. First, the districts must have approximately equal population, and second, the districts must not prevent protected groups (such as Asian-Americans) from electing a representative of their choice. As noted in the Charter Review Committee’s analysis, minority groups are not large or concentrated enough to ensure a diverse council outside of a two-district framework.

On the April 12^th Ad-Hoc Districting Advisory Committee hearing, the Committee determined that the proposed district boundary map best accomplishes these two goals. Under the proposed Measure A system, minority groups are quite likely to elect a representative of their choice, should voters approve Measure A.

The Ad-hoc Districting Advisory Committee approved a district boundary map at their final public hearing on April 12. The map recommendation will be presented to the full Council on May 8 for consideration, as well as the accompanying requisite Ordinance for adoption. The Committee recommended a map that results in a north district and a south district, running roughly along El Camino Real. The Committee also designated the south side of the City (defined as District 1 on the map) as District 1, which will allow voters in that district to vote in 2018. The north side of the City (defined as District 2 on the map) will be defined as District 2 and voters will vote on Council candidates in 2020. For more information on proposed maps or the districting process, please visit the Ad-hoc Advisory Districting Committee's webpage.

An interactive map has been created so that residents may enter their address to see which proposed District they reside.

How can I get more information about Measure A or the Districting Mapping Process?

We will continue to update the community about Measure A as questions arise, as well as inform the community about ways to provide input on the mapping process.

Information/ Frequently Asked Questions about the June Special Election

Resolution Submitting the Ballot Measure to June 5, 2018 Special Election

Argument in Favor of Measure A

Argument Against Measure A

Rebuttal to Argument in Favor of Measure A

Rebuttal to Argument Against Measure A

City Attorney's Impartial Analysis

Educational Powerpoint regarding June Special Election