Chapter 2.41 — BY-DISTRICT ELECTIONS

The city council of the city hereby declares the purpose of this chapter is to further the purposes of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (Elections Code section 14025 et seq.), as amended.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017)

A.

Members of the city council shall be elected by-district in five single-member districts. One member of the city council shall be elected from each district by the voters of that district alone. Each member of the city council shall serve a four-year term until his or her successor is qualified.

B.

The city council member elected to represent a district must reside in that district and be a registered voter in that district, and any candidate for city council must reside in, and be a registered voter in, the district in which he or she seeks election at the time nomination papers are issued.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017)

A.

The boundaries and identifying number of each of the five city council districts shall be as described on the city council district map attached to Ord. 700 as Exhibit "A", and incorporated by this reference.

B.

The city council districts described in subsection A above shall continue in effect until they are amended or repealed in accordance with law. The boundaries of the city council districts shall be reapportioned from time to time as required by applicable law.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017; Ord. No. 700, §2, 3-8-2022)

A.

The by-district system of elections shall be implemented beginning at the general municipal election held in November 2018, as follows:

Members of the city council shall be elected in districts A, C and D at the general municipal election in November 2018, and on the typical four-year cycle thereafter; and

Members of the city council shall be elected in districts B and E beginning at the general municipal election November 2020, and on the typical four-year cycle thereafter.

B.

No term of any member of the city council that commenced prior to the effective date of this chapter shall be affected by the adoption of this chapter.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017)

If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this chapter is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The city council hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase hereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid or unconstitutional.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017)

This chapter shall go into effect upon the following occurrence, whichever occurs first:

A.

The passage by the voters of the City of Exeter of a Charter amendment removing the specific reference in the Charter to at-large city council elections.

B.

A valid and binding court order or judgment, or another appropriate legal determination, made and adopted by the city, specifying that a by-district election system is to be implemented by the city.

(Ord. 684 §2, 2017)