R-2023-02 - Laserfiche WebLink

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possible, and attempts should be made to avoid splitting neighborhoods. 3. Districts should be composed of whole voting precincts. Where this is not possible or practicable, districts should be drawn considering county election precincts. Avoid splitting census blocks unless necessary. 4. Although it is recognized that existing districts will have to be altered to reflect new population distribution, any districting plan should, to the extent possible, be based on existing districts. S. Districts must be configured so that they are relatively equal in total population according to the 2020 federal census. In no event should the total population deviation between the largest and the smallest district exceed ten percent as compared to the ideal district size. 6. Districts should be compact and composed of contiguous territory. Compactness may contain a functional, as well as a geographical, dimension. 7. Consideration may be given to the preservation of incumbent -constituency relations by recognition of the residence of incumbents and their history in representing certain areas. The plan should be narrowly tailored to avoid racial gerrymandering in violation of Shaw v. Reno. 9. The plan should not fragment a geographically compact minority community or pack minority voters in the presence of polarized voting so as to create liability under the Voting Rights Act. Section 2. In order to ensure that a redistricting plan submitted to the city provides value, the City Council hereby sets the following guidelines to be followed for submitting a proposed redistricting plan for consideration: 1. Proposed plans must be submitted in writing and be legible. If a plan is submitted orally, there is significant opportunity for misunderstanding, and it is possible that errors may be made in analyzing it. The City Council wants to be sure that all proposals are fully and accurately considered. 2. Any plan must show the total population and voting age population for African - Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and Anglo/Other for each proposed district, based on the 2020 Census Data. If a plan is submitted without a population breakdown, the Council may not have sufficient information to give it full consideration. 3. Plans should redistrict the entire city, so the Council may consider the effect of any plan on the entire city. All plans are subject to the Voting Rights Act, which protects various racial and language minorities. Thus, as a matter of federal law, the Council will be required to consider the effect of any proposal on multiple racial and ethnic groups. If a plan does not redistrict the entire city,