San Joaquin Votes: Exercise Your Rights!
A Local Guide to Elections
Political Districts and Boundaries
California’s fifty-three United States Representatives and 120 state legislators are elected from political divisions called districts. Adjustments to the boundaries for these districts are made every ten years based on the U.S. Census. This is known as redistricting and ensures diversity in every district.
From 1850 until 2008, the California state legislature drew boundary lines for Congressional, Assembly, Senate, and Board of Equalization political districts. This made it easy for politicians to design their own territory and choose who voted for them, negating representative democracy.
California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act (Proposition 11) in November 2008, which took redistricting duties away from the state legislature. Proposition 11 established a fourteen-member California Citizens Redistricting Commission. This statewide commission is made up of five Republicans, five Democrats, and four members from other political parties to re-draw district boundaries.
The commission uses the following criteria to create new districts:
- Population equality—“one person, one vote.”
- Equal opportunity for minorities to elect candidates of their choice.
- All areas within a district must be physically connected to each other, unless it is an island.
- Districts should avoid dividing cities, counties, and communities.
- Geographic density — districts cannot bypass nearby communities for communities farther away.
- Each Senate district is composed of two Assembly districts; Board of Equalization districts are composed of ten Senate districts.
- Incumbents, political candidates, or political parties cannot be considered when drawing districts.
In addition to studying the 2010 census data, the commission listened to testimony from citizens and a diverse range of community organizations. The commission also received more than 20,000 public comments by fax, email, and website submissions. In August 2011, the commission certified the new electoral district maps. These new districts took effect in the June 2012 primary election and have become some of the most competitive political districts in the nation, creating more opportunities for new candidates running for office.
What is Your District?
Toggle through the slideshow below to view the various assembly, state senate, and congressional districts within and around San Joaquin County. Which districts would vote in, if you are or become registered?
Municipal Boundaries
In American democracy, the government is tiered on a federal basis. This means that power, which stems from the Constitution, is shared between a central (federal) government, the states, and local municipalities. When a citizen votes, they have the right to vote on every election taking place that corresponds to their place of residence. So a person living in a City can vote for school board elections, City council elections, County supervisor seats, and other local offices, as well as elections for state and nation-wide offices, such as state assembly-member or Presidential elections.
One type of municipal government, a school district, is a critical part of the educational life of a region. In the map below, you can find the school districts of San Joaquin County, and their respective enrollments. Which districts would you vote in, if you are/became registered?
