Do you want to get involved? Do you want us to come to your neighborhood or group meeting to provide more information on Citywide Single Vote for Council?

Email us at voting@slocity.org.

Citywide Single Vote was not chosen lightly. The City spent years evaluating options through a collaborative public process. 

Unlike most other cities in California, the City of San Luis Obispo is a Charter City. This means, we have a foundational legal document, called a Charter, which essentially serves as our local constitution. This also allows our City to have home-rule authority over municipal affairs. Only voters can approve a change to the City’s Charter. For more than 100 years, our Charter has required at-large (or Citywide) elections for City Council Members and the Mayor in San Luis Obispo. 

The City received a letter in February 2023 from the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project demanding that we switch from Citywide elections to by-district elections. The letter alleged that San Luis Obispo's Citywide elections violated the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA). This law was adopted by the State of California in 2001 to address voter dilution caused by racial polarization in at-large elections. It encourages cities with systems that dilute minority votes to switch to district-based elections. 

Why Not Switch to Districts or Fight in Court?

District elections can be effective in some cities, but SLO’s demographics do not show clear benefits. Because minority communities are dispersed, districts could weaken coalition‑building and reduce voter participation by limiting individuals to only voting every four years. The City also heard from minority leaders in the community who did not support splitting San Luis Obispo into districts. 

Litigation was also an option, but a risky one. No City has ever won a CVRA lawsuit, and some have spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars defending cases.

Rather than enter into the lengthy process of changing the City's Charter in order to switch to districts, or enter into costly litigation, the City spent almost two years negotiating with the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project to find a better alternative.

The City wants to protect minority voting rights and preserve communitywide collaboration, in line with our goals to create better access to City government and build a greater sense of belonging here. 

A Careful Decision and Public Process 

Although settlement negotiations were confidential, as required for litigation strategy, the City Council insisted that settlement terms be presented publicly. The proposed change was discussed at two public hearings, with community input, one in November 2024 and the other in January 2026. 

At the November 2024 public hearing, community members expressed a range of views. Local Latine leaders raised concerns that district elections could unintentionally reduce representation because minority communities in SLO are not concentrated geographically. Other community members supported the shift to by-district voting. Others wanted the Council to consider alternatives, like ranked choice voting. At this hearing, the Council weighed all input and ultimately approved the settlement agreement for Citywide Single Vote, which a Superior Court judge finalized in January 2025.

The City Council again heard community input as part of a second public hearing in January 2026.  Ultimately, the Council formally adopted this Citywide single voting method into the Municipal Code.

The City will review election outcomes after the 2026 and 2028 election cycles. If data shows the method is not serving voters well, the City can adjust course. 

• Communications & Outreach Plan
• Potential Alternative Legal Resolution to CVRA Demand Letter
• Draft Prelitigation Settlement Agreement
• Complaint SVREP v San Luis Obispo
• Answer to Complaint
• Stipulated Judgment
• Sample Districting Plan

Court Documents

• Prelitigation Settlement Agreement
• Complaint Filed
• Answer Filed
• Stipulated Judgment Filed