Districting is the establishment of boundaries for election districts. It determines who can run and who can vote in each district. Candidates and voters must live within their respective election districts. This does not impact city services to the public. The only change the districting process creates is how City Council Members are elected. 

Districting only happens once. After City Council boundaries are established, the City will conduct redistrictings to balance the district populations following the results of each decennial census, with the next U.S. Census collection being 2030. This ensures that each elected official represents about the same number of constituents. All district lines must be reviewed to meet strict requirements for population equality and voting rights protections in accordance with the Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Elections Code.

Districting determines which neighborhoods and communities are grouped together into a district for purposes of electing a City Council member. The City Council is seeking input on the district voting map for the City of Galt. Community members have an opportunity to share with the City Council how they think district boundaries should be drawn to best represent their community.

Many factors may be considered, but population equality is the most important. Other factors include:

Topography: natural barriers, boundaries or landmarks.

Geography: major streets and neighborhood blocks.

Cohesiveness: contiguity, integrity and compactness of the area.

Communities of interest: established neighborhoods, groups with cultural bonds, common issues or concerns, voting precincts or other types of divisions.

Community input and Census data will be used to create districts. The City has hired professional demographer Redistricting Partners to help create proposed district boundaries. In the coming months, the community will have access to ‘public mapping tool kits’ to provide feedback on how districts could be drawn. The City’s hired demographer will draft proposed maps that ensure compliance with the Federal Voting Rights Act and the California Voting Rights Act requirements. The City Council would then adopt the final district map by ordinance.

A Community of Interest is a connected population that shares common social and economic interests that should be included within a single City Council district for purposes of its effective and fair representation as a potential voting bloc in current or future elections.  Such groups include (but are not limited to) groups with cultural or historical bonds, shared economic interests, shared racial, ethnic or religious identities, neighborhoods, school districts, media markets, transportation districts, opportunity zones, business improvement districts, communities concerned about environmental hazards, or a shared vision of the future of a community.

HOW TO SUBMIT A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST FORM:

1.  Fill out the Community of Interest Form here or 

2.  Complete a printable Community of Interest Form and return by email to districts@cityofgalt.org or drop off/mail to the Office of the City Clerk, 380 Civic Drive, Galt, CA  95632. 

Everyone! We want everyone in our Galt community to help us determine the best way to map out these district-based election boundaries. This means we need you to tell us what make sense when drawing a district. Does your neighborhood have shared concerns? Is there a park, school, major road, or intersection that would define your district? You know your community best!

The first district-based election will be held in November 2026.  This transition will not affect the November 2024 City Council election.

No, representatives must live within the district they wish to represent. If they do not reside within the new district boundaries, they would be ineligible to run for that specific district.

In an at-large elections system, the City has five elected council members, who are elected by registered voters throughout all of the City.  Council members are elected to four-year terms, and the Mayoral seat is rotated annually among the five council members.  In a “districts-based” elections system, the City will have district lines drawn, which would separate the City into specific districts, each with one council member who resides within that district and who is elected only by registered voters residing in that particular district. The council member would still be elected to a four-year term in either elections system.

If only one candidate runs, that individual will be considered elected to the City Council. If no candidates run for a seat in a district, the situation will be handled in the same way as a vacancy. This will be addressed according to the California Elections Code.