Redistricting
Redistricting St. Pete
The City Charter requires a City Council redistricting process to occur every ten years in conjunction with the U.S. Decennial Census.
Redistricting is the process by which differences in the population of Council districts are equalized by adjusting district boundaries and furthers the provisions of the Voting Rights Act principal of “one person, one vote” and the provisions of the City Charter.
Council districts are required to be “as nearly equal in population” as practicable or possible. They should be formed in compact, continuous territory; follow centerlines of streets, rail lines or natural boundaries; follow voting precinct lines to the extent possible; and follow mathematical precision reached in the legislative appointment of the state.
The Mayor’s Report
The process begins with the Mayor's submission of a redistricting report to City Council outlining how new U.S. Census data affects current City Council Districts. According to the City Charter, City Council districts must:
- be formed in compact, continuous territory
- follow the centerlines of streets, rail lines, or natural boundaries
- follow voting precinct lines to the extent possible
- follow the mathematical preciseness reached in the legislative appointment of the state
The Mayor’s Report applies those standards to the current City Council districts to determine whether changes are necessary, based on the new U.S. Census data, to achieve compliance with the City Charter.
Mayor's Redistricting Report Interactive Map
The Redistricting Commission
Once the Mayor’s Report has been submitted to City Council, a nine-person Citizens Redistricting Commission is established, with one Commissioner appointed by the Mayor and one Commissioner appointed by each of the eight Council Members. The commission is responsible for creating and recommending new City Council districts that comply with City Charter requirements. The commission has 60 days to submit a report to City Council that includes a map and description of the recommended districts, an ordinance that City Council can adopt to establish the recommended districts, and hold at least one public hearing on the report.
More information, including a schedule of commission meetings and list of appointed members, can be found on the Redistricting Commission page. Alternative maps have been developed and are being considered by the Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Alternative Redistricting Maps
City Council Action
After the Citizens Redistricting Commission submits its report to City Council, Council has up to 60 days to accept the districts proposed by the Citizens Redistricting Commission through a majority vote or reject the districts proposed by the commission by adopting districts drawn by City Council through a unanimous vote. If City Council does not take either action within 60 days, the districts proposed by the commission are adopted and will go into effect.
Once City Council has adopted the new districts, the information is provided to the Supervisor of Elections and voter ID cards are updated to reflect the new City Council districts.
Timeline
The following timeline has been established for the upcoming redistricting process:
- August 4, 2022: Redistricting Report submitted to City Council and the nine-person Citizens Redistricting Commission is established.
- August 8, 2022: Citizens Redistricting Commission meets first for an organizational session.
- August 8 – October 7, 2022: Citizens Redistricting Commission reviews Redistricting Report and determines how to redistrict the City consistent with standards in the Charter. At least one public hearing must be held on the proposed redistricting.
- October 13, 2022: Deadline for the Citizens Redistricting Commission to submit their report to City Council recommending new Council districts.
- December 13, 2022: Deadline for City Council to adopt the Citizens Redistricting Commission’s recommended districts or reject the districts proposed by the commission and adopt districts drawn by City Council through a unanimous vote.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The City Charter requires a City Council redistricting process to occur every ten years in conjunction with the U.S. Decennial Census.
Redistricting is the process by which differences in the population of Council districts are equalized by adjusting district boundaries and furthers the principal of “one person, one vote” established by national, state, and local law (including the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the City Charter).
Council districts are required to be as nearly equal in population as practicable or possible. Deviation in population among districts (which may not exceed deviation found in the most recent statewide redistricting) provides the flexibility needed to draw districts that are formed in compact, continuous territory; follow centerlines of streets, rail lines or natural boundaries; and follow voting precinct lines to the extent possible.
The City Charter requires that an independent citizens redistricting commission (“RDC”) prepare a redistricting plan in the 60-day period following its initial meeting. The RDC is comprised of nine members. The Mayor and each of the eight City Council members appoint one member to the RDC.
If RDC submits a plan to City Council during the 60-day period provided to it by the Charter, City Council may either (i) accept the districts proposed by RDC through a majority vote or (ii) reject the districts proposed by RDC by adopting districts drawn by City Council through a unanimous vote. But if City Council fails to take either of those actions during that 60-day period, the districts proposed by RDC are adopted by operation of law and go into effect without City Council action.
The City Charter establishes the steps and timeframe of the redistricting process. The City Charter provides for a multi-step redistricting process, beginning with a Redistricting Report that is completed by the Office of the Mayor and delivered to the City Council. The City Charter requires this to occur within one year of the census data becoming available. The most recent census completed by the U.S. Bureau of the Census was for the year 2020. Data from that census became available in mid-August 2021.
Immediately after delivery of the Mayor’s Report, the City Charter requires the RDC to be formed. The RDC is then required, by the City Charter, to immediately meet and to develop a redistricting plan. The redistricting plan is to be delivered to the City Council within 60 days after the Commission’s first meeting. City Council will then have 60 days to take action on the redistricting plan.
The redistricting process will be complete no later than mid-December 2022.
While the City of St. Petersburg is bound by the laws and established principles concerning redistricting, the average citizen is best equipped to understand the impacts of moving a Council District boundary from one location to another in their community. Participation in the redistricting process by as many citizens as possible will assist the City in meeting its goal of adopting adjusted boundaries that are fair and equitable for all.
As described above, the City Charter outlines a multi-step process which begins with the Mayor’s Redistricting Report, then the formation of the RDC, then the RDC redistricting report to City Council, and finally, City Council’s action on the RDC redistricting report.
The Mayor’s Report was timely delivered to the City Council on August 4, 2022.
The RDC was formed via resolution adopted by City Council on August 4, 2022.
The RDC is scheduled for its first meeting on August 8, 2022. It will have up to 60 days, until October 7, 2022, to develop and deliver its redistricting plan to City Council.
City Council will then have 60 days to take action on the RDC redistricting plan.
There are a number of criteria commonly used in the redistricting process. However, the dominant criterion is population.
Population: Individual districts should be as nearly equal in population as is possible or practicable. “Population” means total residents, not registered voters. Pursuant to requirements in the City Charter, the overall range for the new districts (i.e., the difference in population between the largest and the smallest districts, expressed as a percentage of the target population) may not to exceed 4.75%.
Minority voting strength: If there are locations where a significant number of racial or language minority residents reside, their ability to vote as a bloc should not be diluted by either dividing that population into two or more districts (termed “cracking”) or, if there is a significant minority population in two districts, moving that population into a single district (termed “packing.”)
Use census data: Population data from the US Bureau of the Census is updated every 10 years by surveying the total population of the United States. It is the best information available for the 2022 redistricting effort in St. Petersburg.
Compact and contiguous: Districts should be relatively compact and contiguous. Unusual, “bizarre” or “serpentine” district shapes that are created without furthering a valid underlying public policy purpose should be avoided.
Easily understood boundaries: District boundaries should follow easily recognized or understood boundaries, such as major roads, waterbodies or parklands, and should avoid splitting voting precincts, where possible.
Existing district boundaries: The boundaries of the new districts may seek to retain their existing boundaries or the core of the existing districts to the extent possible.
Communities of interest: District boundaries should seek to avoid splitting communities or areas that have similar interests (e.g. neighborhoods or homeowners associations) where possible.
For further information, please visit stpete.org/redistricting-commission or email RDC@stpete.org