The
California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) is intended to ensure that minority groups have the ability to elect candidates of their choice to the elected boards of local agencies. It attempts to achieve this by prohibiting:
- The use of “at-large” elections to elect governing board members,
- Where there is evidence of racially polarized voting; and,
- The elections prevent a protected class from electing candidates of their choice.
If all three factors are met and a voter initiates a legal challenge, it is likely the school district would be found in violation of the CVRA. However, if any of the factors are not met, specifically if the school district uses “by-trustee area” elections, then there is no potential for a violation of the CVRA.
During the April 12, 2018 regularly scheduled Board of Education Meeting, the
WUSD Trustees adopted
Resolution No. 1718-22 stating their intent to approve trustee area boundaries no later than the end of 2018 with implementation prior to the 2020 election for board members.
This process is both lengthy and comprehensive involving a variety of educational opportunities for the community to learn more about what the law states and what this means for our schools, families, and larger community.
