The Election Commission by unanimous vote approved the Washington County Decennium Redistricting Plan Map 9, pursuant to A.C.A 14-14-403 and in accordance with all established criteria and guidelines.

The Election Commission will meet on December 14, 2021 to approve the written descriptions of each of the JP Districts. 

After this meeting the Election Commission will file the map and description with the County Clerk, who pursuant to A.C.A 14-14-405 (b) is instructed to publish the approved version within  fifteen (15) days.  Moreover in accordance with A.C.A. 14-14-407, within seven (7) calendar days following the expiration of the time period provided for the filing of contest of the apportionment plan, the County Clerk is instructed to send the Secretary of State a certified copy of the record made of the plan.

Proposed Plan Map 9 for JP Districts with JP Lines Only

Proposed Plan Map 9 for JP Districts with State House, Senate and City Lines

Proposed Plan Map 9 for JP Districts with State House, Senate, City and Voting Precinct Lines

Proposed Plan Map 9 for JP Districts with JP Lines and Current JP Lines

For comments please contact the Election Commission office at 479-444-1766 or email: jprice@washingtoncountyar.gov

Meetings are live-streamed on the County Election Commission’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpX-GrzfCvEF0PszfEr6V3Q

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REDISTRICTING CRITERIA APPROVED BY THE COURTS

The following points are a general description of legal principles for redistricting. In the redistricting context, what is or is not permissible often depends on a variety of factors that are unique to any given situation.

• One Person, One Vote: Equal Population within constitutional variances

• Legislative Districts: The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution governs legislative districts and the Courts have held that an "overall range" of 10% or less is presumptively constitutional. For example, if the ideal district size is 100 people then it would be possible to have the smallest district in the state contain only 95 people while the largest district could contain up to 105 people - an overall range of 10% or less.

• Compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Don't discriminate against racial or language minorities. This federal law states that any practice or procedure that has a discriminatory effect on racial or language minorities is illegal. A common example of a discriminatory practice or procedure would be districts that are drawn, intentionally or not, so that minorities do not have an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

• Compliance with the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment: Don't draw districts based solely or primarily on race. The United States Supreme Court has held that districts should not be defined exclusively by race; although, it is allowable to take race into account (i.e. "be race conscious") while drawing district boundaries. There are possible exceptions where drawing a district based primarily on race might be done. Possible exceptions are: avoiding a violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - either §2 or §5, or to remedy past discrimination.

• Geographically Contiguous Districts: The Courts have held that districts must be geographically contiguous. The entire district must be connected in some way. In other words, it would not be permissible to have a portion of a district that was an "island" and not connected geographically to the rest of the district.

• Geographically Compact Districts: The Courts have held that geographically compact districts are ideal. For example, a district shaped like a circle or a square would be "geographically compact." In practice, most districts have some irregularity in shape; nevertheless, the more bizarre the district shape, the less likely it is to be approved by the Courts.

• Minimize Splitting Political Subdivisions: The Courts have held that where possible, it is preferable to minimize splitting political subdivisions such as counties, cities and voting precincts. In other words, where it is possible. It is better to keep whole counties, cities and voting precincts intact.

• Maintain Core of Existing Districts where possible: Preservation of the "cores" of existing districts is a redistricting principle. When district lines are re-drawn, the mapmakers can take into account the existing districts, their geographic location, and the current population. It is better to keep the core of an existing district where possible.

• Maintain Continuity of Representation where possible: It is permissible to avoid making current office holders run against other incumbents by not putting them in the same district. The rationale for this principle is that voters who have already chosen a candidate should be able to continue to choose that same candidate. At the same time, it is also possible that two incumbents might be placed in the same district if necessary.

• Maintain Communities of Interest where possible: Preservation of communities of interest describes the goal of maintaining a group of people in a specific geographic area where those individuals share common interests, i.e., common economic, social, cultural, ethnic, religious or even political interests.

• Minimize Partisan Gerrymanders: A gerrymander is a district drawn to favor one group over another. All of the criteria listed above have been created by the Courts as limitations to prevent one group from taking unfair advantage of another group in redistricting. With respect to partisan gerrymanders, the United States Supreme Court has indicated that it is possible to bring a lawsuit regarding partisan gerrymanders: however, the Supreme Court has not identified what is or is not legal With respect to partisan gerrymanders. As a result, there is a great deal of uncertainty about partisan gerrymanders and, as such, they should be minimized.

PROCEDURES FOR ADOPTION OF REAPPORTIONED QUORUM COURT DISTRICTS (Justice of the Peace)

Under Arkansas Code Annotated A.C.A. §14-14-403, the county board of election commissioners is responsible for the apportionment of quorum court districts after the federal decennial Census. The number of quorum court districts for a county depends on its population: 9 for counties under 20,000; 11 for 20,000-49,999; 13 for 50,000 to 199,999; and 15 for 200,000 and above (See A.C.A. §14-14-402).  Washington County has 15 quorum court districts.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution-the Equal Protection Clause (the one­ man, one vote requirement), mandates that election districts be of substantially equal population. This equality of population is the overriding objective of apportionment and redistricting. In meeting this objective, courts have generally held that population among election districts must not deviate more than ten percent (10%).

POPULATION INFORMATION FOR QUORUM COURT DISTRICTS

The information listed below is the starting information for the CBEC to begin redistricting. 

DATES AND DEADLINES

 *These deadlines are subject to the approval date of the Quorum Court District Maps by the CBEC

For information on  redistricting for the United States House of Representatives and the state's 35 Senate districts and 100 House of Representatives districts go to:  https://arkansasredistricting.org

State Law Requirements for the County Board of Election Commissioners (CBEC) and County Clerk

14-14-403. Apportionment of districts.

(a) The county board of election commissioners in each county shall be responsible for the apportionment of the county into quorum court districts. Until otherwise changed in the method set forth in this subchapter, the districts of each county shall consist of the territory of the township established by the county board of election commissioners on or before November 3, 1975, pursuant to the provisions of Acts 1975, No. 128 [repealed]. Thereafter, districts shall be apportioned on or before the first Monday after January 1, 1982, and each ten (10) years thereafter.

(b) All apportionments shall be based on the population of the county as of the last federal decennial census, and the number of districts apportioned shall be equal to the number to which the county is entitled by law.

(c) The provisions of this subchapter shall not be construed to affect the composition of the county committees of the political parties, and the county committee of each political party shall designate the geographic area within the county from which county committee members shall be selected.

14-14-405. Filing and publishing of plan.

(a) Not later than the date set for the apportionment of county quorum court districts, the county board of election commissioners shall file its report with the clerk of the county court, setting forth the district boundaries and the number of inhabitants within them.

(b) Within fifteen (15) days of the filing of an apportionment plan, the clerk of the county court shall cause to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county the district boundaries apportioned and the number of inhabitants within them.

 14-14-406. Contest of apportionment.

Original jurisdiction of any suit to contest the apportionment made for county quorum court districts by a county board of election commissioners is vested in the circuit court of the affected county. Any such contest shall be filed with the circuit court within thirty (30) days following the date publication appears in a newspaper of general circulation.

The clerk of the county court, within seven (7) calendar days following the expiration of the time period provided for the filing of contest of an apportionment plan, shall transmit to the Secretary of State a certified copy of the record made of an apportionment plan.

CBEC Responsibility for School District Maps and Zones

6-14-102. Annual school election date — Special school election. [Effective January 1, 2022.] 

(B)(i) A school district shall adopt a policy setting forth which election date under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section the school district chooses to hold the annual school election upon.

(ii) At least one hundred (100) days before the first day of the respective candidate filing period set forth in § 6-14-111(e)(1)(A), a school district shall provide a copy of the policy under subdivision (a)(1)(B)(i) of this section to:

(a) The county board of election commissioners of the county in which the school district is domiciled for administrative purposes; and

(b) The county clerk of each county within the school district's boundaries.

7-7-203. Dates.

(a) The general primary election shall be held:

(1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the third Tuesday in June preceding the general election; and

(2) For years in which the office of President of the United States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four (4) weeks following the preferential primary election.

(b) The preferential primary election shall be held:

(1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four (4) weeks before the general primary election; and

(2) For years in which the office of President of the United States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March.

(c)(1) The party filing period shall be a one-week period beginning and ending on the following dates and times:

(A) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the ballot at the general election, beginning at 12:00 noon one (1) week prior to the first day in March and ending at 12:00 noon on the first day in March; and

6-13-631. Effect of minority population on election.

(a) The qualified electors of a school district having a ten percent (10%) or greater minority population out of the total population, as reported by the most recent federal decennial census information, shall elect the members of the board of directors as authorized in this section, utilizing selection procedures in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended.

(b)(1) At least one hundred twenty (120) days before the annual school election held in the second year after the federal decennial census, the local board of directors shall:

(A) By resolution, choose to elect members of the board of directors from five (5) or seven (7) single-member zones or from five (5) single-member zones and two (2) at large; and

(B) With the approval of the controlling county board of election commissioners, divide each school district having a ten percent (10%) or greater minority population into five (5) or seven (7) single-member zones in accordance with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended.

(2) Zones shall have substantially equal population, with boundaries based on the most recent available federal decennial census information.

(c) A board of directors choosing to elect members of the board of directors by five (5) single-member zones and two (2) at-large positions may fill the two (2) at-large positions by drawing lots from among the current members of the board of directors.

(d)(1)

(A) A candidate for election from a single-member zone must be a qualified elector and a resident of the zone.

(B) A candidate for an at-large position must be a qualified elector and a resident of the school district.

(2)(A) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, a member of a school district board of directors shall serve a five-year term.

(B) A term shall commence when the county court declares the results of the election by an order entered of record.

(e) At the first meeting of a new board of directors, the members shall establish initial terms by lot so that, to the extent possible, an equal number of positions are filled each year and not more than two (2) members' terms expire each year.

(f)(1) At least ninety (90) days before the filing deadline for the annual school election held in the second year after each federal decennial census, the school district board of directors, with the approval of the county board of election commissioners of the county where the school district is administratively domiciled, shall:

(A) Divide each school district having a ten percent (10%) or greater minority population into single-member zones; and

(B)(i) File a copy of the plan with the county clerk of the county where the school district is administratively domiciled.

(ii) The plan filed with the clerk shall include a map showing the boundaries of the zones and documentation showing the population by race in each zone.

(2) The zones shall be based on the most recent federal decennial census information and be substantially equal in population.

(3) At the annual school election following the rezoning, a new school district board of directors shall be elected in accordance with procedures set forth in this section.