Apportionment Commission - Article V Legislation
Section 5.1 Apportionment of County Commission Districts
The County Apportionment Commission shall establish Commission districts in the manner required by law within 60 days after the most recent final decennial census figures are certified by the United States Government. The districts shall be contiguous, compact, and as nearly square as practicable, depending on the geography of County area involved, without regard to partisan political advantage. The districts shall be drawn so that each city and township has the largest possible number of complete districts within its boundaries before any part of the city or township is joined to territory outside the boundaries of the city or township to form a district. All districts shall be single member districts and as equal in population as practicable. Townships, villages, cities, and precincts shall be divided only if necessary to meet the population standard.
Section 5.2 County Apportionment Commission
Unless otherwise required by law, the County Apportionment Commission consists of the County Clerk, the County Treasurer, the Prosecuting Attorney, and the statutory County chairperson of each of the 2 political parties whose candidates for Secretary of State received the most votes in the last election for that office. If the County does not have a statutory chairperson of a political party, the 2 additional members shall be a party representative from each of the 2 political parties receiving the greatest number of votes cast for the office of secretary of state in the last preceding general election and appointed by the chairperson of the state central committee for each of the political parties. The County Clerk convenes the Commission and the County Apportionment Commission shall adopt rules of procedure. Three members of the County Apportionment Commission shall constitute a quorum. All action is by Majority.
Section 5.3 Apportionment Procedure
Unless otherwise required by law, the County Apportionment Commission shall file an apportionment plan with the County Clerk, at which time the plan shall become effective. If the County Apportionment Commission has failed to submit a plan for the County within 60 days but not less than 30 days after the latest official published census figures are available or an extension granted by the Court of Appeals, any registered voter may submit a plan to the County Apportionment Commission for approval. From the plans submitted, the County Apportionment Commission shall choose a plan meeting the requirements of law. The plan chosen by the County Apportionment Commission shall be filed with the County Clerk within 30 days of the initial or extended deadline for filing its plan, at which time the plan shall become effective.
Section 5.4 Appeal of an Apportionment Plan
Unless otherwise provided by law, any registered voter of the County may, within 30 days of the filing of the plan with the County Clerk, petition the Court of Appeals to determine if the plan complies with the law and this Charter. A decision of the Court of Appeals may be appealed to the State Supreme Court as provided by law.
Section 5.5 Final Apportionment Plan
A final apportionment plan is effective until a new plan is adopted after release of the next United States official decennial census figures.
Section 5.6 Elections
The election of Countywide Elected Officials and Commissioners shall be conducted at the times and in the manner required by this Charter and law.