Section 14026 Of Chapter 1.5. Rights Of Voters From California Elections Code >> Division 14. >> Chapter 1.5.
14026
. As used in this chapter:
(a) "At-large method of election" means any of the following
methods of electing members to the governing body of a political
subdivision:
(1) One in which the voters of the entire jurisdiction elect the
members to the governing body.
(2) One in which the candidates are required to reside within
given areas of the jurisdiction and the voters of the entire
jurisdiction elect the members to the governing body.
(3) One which combines at-large elections with district-based
elections.
(b) "District-based elections" means a method of electing members
to the governing body of a political subdivision in which the
candidate must reside within an election district that is a divisible
part of the political subdivision and is elected only by voters
residing within that election district.
(c) "Political subdivision" means a geographic area of
representation created for the provision of government services,
including, but not limited to, a general law city, general law
county, charter city, charter county, charter city and county, a
school district, community college district, or other district
organized pursuant to state law.
(d) "Protected class" means a class of voters who are members of a
race, color, or language minority group, as this class is referenced
and defined in the federal Voting Rights Act (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10301
et seq.).
(e) "Racially polarized voting" means voting in which there is a
difference, as defined in case law regarding enforcement of the
federal Voting Rights Act (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10301 et seq.), in the
choice of candidates or other electoral choices that are preferred by
voters in a protected class, and in the choice of candidates and
electoral choices that are preferred by voters in the rest of the
electorate. The methodologies for estimating group voting behavior as
approved in applicable federal cases to enforce the federal Voting
Rights Act (52 U.S.C. Sec. 10301 et seq.) to establish racially
polarized voting may be used for purposes of this section to prove
that elections are characterized by racially polarized voting.