Laws meant to help minorities get into local government are actually making it harder for them to get elected in small towns.
March 24, 2026
Original Paper
The California Voting Rights Act Isn’t Working Well For Small Cities
SSRN · 6456398
The Takeaway
The California Voting Rights Act forces cities to switch from at-large elections to neighborhood districts. However, in small towns, this often fragments the minority voting base or results in a lack of candidates per district, leading to more uncontested elections and less diversity than the old system.
From the abstract
<p>The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) has been very successful in promoting minority representation by forcing cities and other jurisdictions to transition to districts. However, a review of the results in small cities (less than 30,000 population) shows it has not worked well in small cities, often failing to obtain minority representation. Adding Proportional Ranked Choice Voting (PRCV) to the CVRA safe harbor for small cities would address this deficiency.</p> <p><span>This study focused