In the City election of 2009, 605 people voted in District 1 (North College Park); 186 voted in District 2 (Berwyn, Lakeland, and a bunch of dorms). District 1 and District 2 get the same number of Council members - two. So a voter in District 2 had 3.25 times as much power in the City as a voter in District 1.
2009 was not unusual. District 1 is systematically underrepresented. Here are the previous figures (vote totals are slight underestimates based on candidate totals):
2007 District 1 Votes: 598 District 2 Votes: 161 Power Ratio: 3.71
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2005 District 1 Votes: 344 District 2 Votes: 129 Power Ratio: 2.67
2003 District 1 Votes: 332 District 2 Votes: 85 Power Ratio: 3.91
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North College Park is disenfranchised by the current system. The cause is not mysterious. Districts are allocated according to a court-ordered settlement formula agreed to about two decades ago. The formula gives a lot of weight to on-campus students. On-campus students pay next to nothing in taxes and receive next to nothing in services from the city. There is no reason they should vote, and they don't.
District 2 is chock-full of on-campus students. (District 4 has most of the remaining dorms.) The system gives to the less than 200 people in District 2 who do vote, the homeowners of Berwyn and Lakeland, much more power than to the 600 or so who vote in North College Park.
How long is this going to go on? The City has no choice but to redistrict based on the current system this year, but next year it should go back into court and ask for a new rule.
Will the next Council do that? Or will they be too comfortable with the status quo?
North College Park Citizens Association meets at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Davis Hall, at the corner of 51st Avenue and Indian Lane. This will be on the agenda.
Mark Shroder is president of NCPCA and former City Councilman for District 1.
