The California Voting Rights Act and Uncontested City Council Seats

The California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) prohibits local governments from holding at-large elections in a way that impairs the ability of a racial minority or other protected class to elect candidates of its choice. Local governments found to be in violation of the CVRA are required to switch to district elections, which in practice has meant single-member district elections. While there is evidence that the CVRA is achieving its aim of increasing minority representation in local governments, it has also led to an increase in uncontested elections. I find that a switch from at-large to single-member district elections increases the expected number of uncontested seats in California city council elections by approximately one-half of a seat, a sizeable effect when considering that a typical city council election involves two or three seats. Much of this increase is due to a decline in the number of candidates running for office.