Merced needs volunteers to set up voting districts plan

With three weeks left before the deadline, the city of Merced continues to look for applicants who want to take part in drawing up City Council districts before the next local election cycle.

As of midday Friday, the city has received four applications from people who want to be on the commission, but more are needed.

City staff will continue to accept applications through Jan. 30 before turning them over to the Merced County League of Women Voters, who will make recommendations on who should serve as part of a commission.

To be eligible for the commission, volunteers must live in Merced and be eligible to vote. The panel cannot include elected officials, paid political employees or anyone else with a conflict of interest.

The volunteers will be expected to have the free time to participate in the commission, which will meet two or three times a month from March through the end of the year.

On Election Day, voters narrowly passed a measure to eliminate the city’s at-large voting system, making an effort to comply with demands from the Los Angeles-based Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. The civil rights group threatened to sue the city about a year ago for not having district elections.

Several other cities in the Valley are also making the change rather than face litigation over what some see as a violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

Those who want to be on the commission should submit an application to the city clerk before Jan. 30. Applications are available at the clerk’s office, 678 W. 18th St., or on the city’s website, www.cityofmerced.org.

For questions, call the clerk at (209) 385-6834.

This story was originally published January 9, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Merced needs volunteers to set up voting districts plan."