Desert Water Agency will transition from at-large to division elections with the first division election occurring in November 2020.
The Board of Directors unanimously approved a map on July 16, 2019 to break the service boundaries into five divisions and kick-starts the transition.
DWA currently has an at-large system that allows customers to elect all five members of the Board of Directors. Elections by division – also referred to as districts – apportions the service area into five divisions with customers voting only for candidates from within their own division. Until the first division election in 2020, all board members will serve at-large representing the entire service area.
The move to voting by division avoids a potentially costly lawsuit. Various Coachella Valley cities and school districts have moved to district elections in recent years for similar reasons.
To assist in the process, DWA hired National Demographics Corporation, the firm that did work for Palm Springs and Cathedral City in their districting efforts.
Maps
(draft proposals presented to the Board)
Hearing schedule
(Various hearings were held prior to adoption)
FAQs on Transition
Click on each question to see the answer.