The City of Irvine is taking steps to prepare for its transition to district elections in 2024. The city is organizing a series of community forums to educate and engage the public in the districting process. These workshops are intended to be more intimate than council meetings, allowing attendees to ask questions and even draw their own maps.
Irvine is currently the largest city in Orange County without district elections. Dr. Justin Levitt, Vice President of the National Demographics Association, gave a presentation to the Irvine City Council explaining how the community workshops would prepare and educate the public in the districting process.
The switch to district elections was approved by Irvine’s leaders on April 11. This will expand the City Council from five to seven seats. The public will have the opportunity to vote for the mayor at large and a council member to represent an individual district in November 2024.
To ensure that the public has a voice in the process, the city is also asking for input on drafting new district maps via its new districting website, drawirvine.org. Drafted maps will be available for the public to view, and the city is encouraging the public to submit maps before the June 29 deadline.
When drawing new district lines, the City of Irvine will rely on several factors, including geography, federal decennial census data to determine equal population between districts, easily identifiable boundaries, future population growth, and voter choice. Candidates will need to reside within the specific district, while the mayor will be elected at large.
Each council member will represent approximately 50,000 residents per district, based on Irvine’s current population. Levitt noted that Irvine is one of the few cities left in Orange County without by-district elections and the largest in the state without them.
The next districting community forum will be held virtually on April 26, with two more community forums planned for May, along with the second public hearing at the Irvine City Council on May 9. A schedule of upcoming community districting forums and public hearings can be found on the city’s website.
By engaging the public in the districting process, Irvine is taking steps to ensure that its transition to district elections is fair and equitable. The community workshops and online input opportunities will help to ensure that the public has a say in the districting process and that the new district lines are drawn in a way that reflects the needs and interests of Irvine’s diverse population.
