BILL NUMBER: SB 437	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Block

                        FEBRUARY 25, 2015

   An act to relating to elections.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 437, as introduced, Block. California Voting Rights Act of
2001.
   The California Voting Rights Act of 2001 (CVRA) prohibits the use
of an at-large election in a political subdivision if it would impair
the ability of a protected class, as defined, to elect candidates of
its choice or otherwise influence the outcome of an election. The
CVRA provides that a violation of the act is established if it is
shown that racially polarized voting, as defined, has occurred, and
requires that the occurrence of racially polarized voting be
determined from examining the results of elections in which at least
one candidate is a member of a protected class or elections involving
ballot measures or other electoral choices that affect the rights
and privileges of members of a protected class.
   This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that ensures that elections held in California comply
with the requirements of the act.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  It is the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that ensures that elections held in California comply
with the requirements of the California Voting Rights Act of 2001.