Laws and Regulations

In November 2008, voters approved Proposition 11—the Voters FIRST Act (Act). The Act authorizes the creation of the new 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission (commission). This commission will be responsible for drawing the district lines for the State Senate, Assembly, and State Board of Equalization. For the text of the Voters FIRST Act, click here. The State Auditor adopted two sets of regulations implementing provisions of the Act. The first set of regulations generally governing the application process was adopted on November 6, 2009. To review the first set of regulations, click here. To review the final statement of reasons, click here. For the basis of some of the regulations, see the Memoranda listed below. The second set of regulations relates to how the first eight commissioners will select the remaining six.

Federal Review of Regulations

In states like California, regulations affecting voting rights need to be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Justice before they can go into effect to ensure the regulations do not adversely affect voting rights of racial or language minority groups. This process, under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, is commonly referred to as “Preclearance.” On December 18, 2009, the first set of regulations regarding the application process was precleared by the U.S. Department of Justice. On September 10, 2010, the second set of regulations regarding how the first eight commissioners will select the remaining six was submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice for review. The following documents were submitted:

Documents Related to Regulatory Proceedings Regarding How the First Eight Commissioners Select the Final Six

Archive of Documents Related to Regulatory Proceedings Regarding the Application and Selection Process

Information Regarding Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act

Information Regarding Public Entity Agreements

  • When contracting with public entities, including state colleges and universities, for the services of professionals employed by such entities, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission does not pay overhead expenses charged by such institutions, in excess of 20% of the contract amount.