The League of Women Voters of Naperville supports at-large elections. In 2010, members of the League of Women Voters of Naperville undertook a study to determine the methods available for electing members of the city council.The results can be found on our website at http://naperville.il.lwv.org/councilelections.htm This study was done in advance of the 2010 election in which the referendum question asking voters whether to divide the city into districts was held.
We considered representation in other large Illinois cities with a council manager form of government: 72% have at-large representation; 8% have a mixed type representation and 20% have district representation.
Demographics including homogeneous population, size, growth, density and distribution of the population were primary reasons why the League believed at-large” election was the best choice for Naperville.
Other large cities in Illinois (Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, Joliet, andSpringfield) have significantly different demographic profiles with large minority populations. District representation best fits the demographics of the homogeneous population of Naperville.
Many people think that having districts will ensure that all areas of the city will have a representative on the city council. This is not necessarily true.The size of each district will be at least 30,000 people, which is larger than some cities in Illinois. In fact, under the mixed method, five of the nine council members possibly could come from one area of the city.
We encourage all voters to be informed as they vote in the primary election on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.
- Mary Wright, President League of Women Voters of Naperville
The League of Women Voters of Naperville is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues,and influences public policy through education and advocacy. To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Naperville visit our website a thttp://naperville.il.lwv.org/.