Austin City Charter

This undated letter from MALDEF legislative attorney Luis Figueroa to the 2012 Charter Revision Committee supports changing the method of electing all council members at-large to a system of electing all council members from single-member (geographic) districts.

This December 9, 2011, letter from attorney David Richards of Richards Rodriquez & Skeith LLP endorses the 10-1 plan for electing council members from geographic districts and opines that such a plan would be viewed favorably by the U.S. Department of Justice for compliance with the Voting Rights Act.

This draft was prepared by attorney Steve Bickerstaff, based on California's Voters First Act, which took the responsibility for redrawing the boundaries of the state's 120 legislative districts away from the legislature and created the California Citizens Redistricting Commission.

This draft resolution was posted for as Agenda Item 48 on the April 28, 2011, Austin City Council Meeting. The resolution would initiate action to result in a in November 2012 election to amend the charter.

This draft was prepared by attorney Steve Bickerstaff, based on California's Voters First Act. It would set up an impartial selection process for the appointment of members of a Citizens Redistricting Commission to take political influence out of the equation.