Abstract
In the last two decades, California cities have been pressured by the courts to change to district elections for violating the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) of 2001. To date, no city has won a defense case against CVRA violations, except for the City of Santa Monica that is still going through the Court of Appeals. The reasoning behind this change is that other forms of electoral systems dilute minority votes, while district elections allow for more minority representation. Though this topic has become controversial and political in nature, the aim of my research is to see how district elections are affecting cities. Specifically, my research focuses on the impact district elections have on minority representation in city councils, with a secondary focus on the potential unintended consequences. This research draws upon data from the County Election Data Archive (CEDA) on three cities: Elk Grove, Roseville, and Rancho Cordova. Additionally, I interviewed city councilmembers and city managers from the Greater Sacramento Region, as well as relied on publicly available documents. I found that district elections have the potential to positively impact the level of representation that minorities receive. This conclusion is contingent on the percentage of the total minority population and the form of election system that cities already use. However, this thesis also presents qualitative data underscoring potential concerns about unintended consequences. Decision makers should clarify possibilities and consider tradeoffs of district elections.