Challenging At-Large Voting in Lowell, Massachusetts:
Resources & Fact Sheets
On May 17th, Asian-American and Latino voters in Lowell, Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the city for its use of At-Large Voting to elect its City Council and School Committee. The complaint filed in Federal District court said the at-large system, where all nine city councilors and six school committee members are elected citywide, denies them and Lowell voters generally the equal opportunity to fair representation required under the U.S. constitution and Voting Rights Act.
Used in Lowell since 1959, At-Large voting is well known to be the least representative of all voting methods. The federal government has banned at-large voting for congressional elections. Most every Massachusetts city has replaced at-large systems in favor of use primarily neighborhood-based district elections with some at-large seats to ensure the whole city is represented and voters have more access to and interaction with elected officials in every neighborhood. Here are resources to learn more.
1. Fact Sheets
10 Things to Know about At Large Voting & the Legal Challenge SPANISH KHMER
The Bias of All At-Large Voting
2. PowerPoint Slides
Community Impact of At Large Voting SPANISH KHMER
3. Six Options for Lowell Elections 2019
Slide Show Summary: Advantages and Disadvantages
One Page Summary of Six Options_English
One Page Summary of Six Options_Spanish
City of Lowell Website on Voting System options – in English, Spanish, Khmer, Portuguese
4. News Lawsuit filed 2017
Lowell Sun: Lowell Council Narrows to Two Options to Put on the Ballot for Voters NEW Sept 27, 2019
Lowell Sun:Minorities Sue Over Voting Rights
Boston Globe: Lowell Should Dismantle At Large “majority rule” system
Boston Herald: Lawsuit Says Lowell Dilutes Voting Power of Minorities
U.S. News and World Report: Voting Rights Lawsuit Filed in Lowell MA
5. Make up of Lowell Student Population – 2016-2017
Lowell is a growing and diverse city.
The Lowell School Committee has never had minority representation in the 60 years since the city adopted it current voting system.
