Transition to District-Based Elections

In 2002, the Legislature enacted the California Voting Rights Act (“CVRA”) (Elec. Code §§14025 – 14032), which prohibits California public agencies, like the Santa Maria Airport Public District (the “District,”) from imposing or applying an at-large election method “that impairs the ability of a protected class to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election” (Elec. Code §14027). A protected class is defined by the CVRA as “a class of voters who are members of a race, color, or language minority group, as this class is referenced and defined in the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965”.  In a lawsuit brought pursuant to the CVRA, a plaintiff who establishes a history of “racially polarized voting” under a public agency’s at-large election system can require it to change to a district-based election system.

On October 15, 2018, the District received a letter from an attorney, Kevin I. Shenkman, on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, asserting racially-polarized voting in the District. On November 19, 2018, the Board of Directors of the District adopted a resolution outlining its intention to transition from at-large to district-based elections, which included specific steps the District will undertake to facilitate the transition, and an estimated time frame for doing so. (For a copy of the resolution and the timeline – click here.) The CVRA provides that the District must adopt an ordinance implementing district-based elections within 90 days, or by no later than February 17, 2019.

The community’s input in the development of the voting districts is very important to this process. Following community input, District maps were developed and approved by the Board of Directors in 2019. A subsequent update was completed following the 2020 census for the 2022 election.

What is the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA)?

What it is: The CVRA seeks to ensure that every community has an opportunity to elect the candidate(s) of their choice in local elections.

Does this only impact the District? No, public agencies throughout California have faced challenges to their at-large elections, including the City of Santa Maria and the City of Ventura.

How will the change to By-Division elections affect me?  Voters will only vote for one board candidate who resides in the electoral division in which you live. The current board members will continue in office until the expiration of their terms and until their successors are elected and qualified.

General Facts about By-Division Elections:

  • Each geographic area of the District area is represented by one board member.
  • By-Division elections do not change the District’s overall boundaries.
  • The District is divided into five geographically defined divisions that are approximately equal in population.
  • A professional demographer was contracted to assist in dividing the District accordingly.

The following seats will be up for election, November 2026:

  • Director Ignacio Moreno – District 2
  • Director Michael B. Clayton – District 4

The following seats will be up for election, November 2028:

  • Director Chuck Adams – District 1
  • Director Steve Brown – District 3
  • Director Tony Guy – District 5

Table of Contents

2019 Redistricting Efforts:

2022 Redistricting Efforts: 

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