24-MOVE TO ACCEPT LETTER OF PRECLEARANCE BY DEPT OF JUSTICE APPROVING 2011 REDISTRICTING PLAN FOR COPSubmittal Date:
04/ 17/2012
Council Date:
04/23/2012
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM BRIEFING SHEET
Originating Department: Presented By: Agenda Item No.:
City Clerk
Janice Ellis
24.
KECOMMENDED MOTION:
Move to accept the letter of preclearance issued March 22, 2012 by the Department of Justice approving
the 2011 redistricting plan for the City of Paris.
POLICY ISSUE(S):
Redistricting Plan Preclearance
BACKGROUND:
On March 22, 2012, The Department of Justice issued a preclearance letter for the City of Paris 2011
redistricting plan.
A Public Notice of Changes in Election Precincts was published in the Paris News on April 13, 2012;
April 20, 2012; and the third notice will be published April 27, 2012. A Public Notice of Changes in
Elections Precincts was also posted at the City Hall Annex and on the City web-site. A copy of the
submission and preclearance letter was forwarded to the Secretary of State Elections Division.
t30ARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
EXHIBITS:
Preclearance letter from the Department of Justice; Public Notice Changes in Election Precincts
ACTION:
BUDGET INFO:
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KEVIEWED AND APPROVED BY:
Z Administration E City Clerk ❑ Community Development ❑ EMS/IT ❑ Finance ❑ Fire
❑ Municipal Court Z Legal ❑ Library ❑ Police ❑ Eng./Public Works ❑ Utilities
City of Paris 217 Revised 2/04/08
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TCH:RSB:JER; V W:par
DJ 166-012-3
2012-Q419
U.S. Deparhnent of Justice
Civil Rights Division
t'oting Section - NWB
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530
March 22, 2012
Robert T. Bass, Esq.
Allison, Bass & Associates
402 West 12" Street
Austin, Texas 78701
Dear Mr. Bass:
Tius refers to the 2011 rectistricting plan for the City of Paris in Lamar County, Texas,
submitted to the Attorney General pursuant to Section S of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 42
U.S.C. 1973c. We received your submission on January 30, 2012; additional information was
received through February 15, 2012.
The Attorney General does not interpose any objection to the specified change. However,
we note that Section 5 expressly provides that the failure of the Attorney General to object does
not bar subsequent litigation to enjoin the enforcement of the change. Procedures for the
Administration of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 28 C.F.R. 51.41.
Sincerely,
to--t T4k
T. Christian Herren, Jr.
Chief, Voting Section
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Public Notice to be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks and posted as any other
Public Notice for three (3) consecutive weeks:
PUBLIC NOTICE OF CHANGES IN ELECTION PRECINCTS
Pursuant to §42.035, Texas Election Code, the city council for the City of Paris hei•ein provides
notice of changes in the council political boundaries as adopted, and as precleared by the United States
Department of Justice on 27th day of March, 2012.
Interested individuals may review the adopted changes at city hall during regular business hours.
The changes in disti-ict election precincts were necessitated by redistricting of the city council
precincts in compliance with the United States Constitution and 42 U.S.C. §1973, also known as the
Voting Rights Act, following the release of 2010 census data. Changes in the city council election
precincts were designed to achieve numerical balance between the council precincts, and to insure the
voting rights of al] citizens in the City of Paris.
AVISO PUBLICO DE CAMBIOS EN DISTRITOS ELECTORALES
Con arreglo a§42.035, Texas codigo de elecciones, el Ayuntamiento de la ciudad de Paris aqui
proporciona aviso de cambios en los limites politicos Consejo aprobado y como precleared por el
departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos el dia 22 de marzo de 2012.
Aersonas interesadas podran revisar los cambios adoptados en el ayuntamiento durante el horario
regular.
Los cambios en los precintos electorales de distrito fueron requeridos por la delimitacion de los
recintos del Ayuntamiento de conformidad con ]a Constitucion de Estados Unidos y 42 U.S.C. §1973,
tambien conocida como la ley de derechos electorales, tras la publicacion de datos del censo de 2010.
Cambios en el recinto de eleccion del Consejo de la ciudad fueron disenados para Iogral- el equilibrio
numerico entre el recinto del Consejo y para asegurar los derechos de voto de todos los ciudadanos en la
ciudad de los Paris.
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