The Carlsbad City Clerk’s Office will conduct a random draw at a public meeting on July 13 to select members of an Independent Redistricting Commission that will decide new boundaries for City Council districts. The process will be livestreamed on the city’s website starting at 3 p.m.  As of the June 30 deadline, 127 people submitted applications for the seven member commission.

Meeting notice

Watch the livestream

Commission makeup

The City Council established the following criteria for the composition of the commission.

• 2 registered as Republican
• 2 registered as Democrat
• 3 who list another party affiliation on their voter registration
• 1 member from each district
• 3 members citywide (not chosen because they are from a specific district)
• 3 alternates (1 Democratic, 1 Republican, 1 other) 

Prior to the random drawing, information submitted by applicants will be verified by the City Attorney’s Office. To be eligible, applicants must be 18 or older, have lived in Carlsbad for the past three years and be registered to vote in Carlsbad. Those who have made campaign contributions to Carlsbad officials, been registered to lobby the city or worked on City Council political campaigns are not eligible to serve on the independent commission. See the full list of eligibility criteria. 

Redistricting is the process of redrawing the boundaries of election districts based on Census data to ensure that all districts have the same number of residents. In Carlsbad, redistricting will determine which neighborhoods and communities are grouped into a district for the purpose of electing a City Council member. The City of Carlsbad has four City Council members, each representing a district, and a mayor who is elected citywide.

The Carlsbad City Council chose to have an independent commission decide on the final district maps. The decision will follow a number of public meetings, hearings, workshops and online surveys to get input from the public. The public engagement process is expected to kick off in August with an informational meeting. Residents can sign up to be notified about the redistricting process on the city’s website.

More information:

Learn more and sign up to receive updates at carlsbadca.gov/districts.

Contact the City Clerk’s Office at 760-434-2808 or redistricting@carlsbadca.gov.