The People's Commission

The People's Commission, established in April 2022 by Proposition R, consists of 9 city residents who oversee redistricting in the City of St. Louis every ten years.

Overview

The People's Commission is responsible for the redistricting of the City of St. Louis at least once every ten (10) years. Redistricting takes place the year after each U.S. Census.

Read more about the People's Commission.

Responsibilities

  1. The People's Commission is responsible for the redistricting of the City of St. Louis at least once every ten (10) years. Redistricting will take place the year after each U.S. Census.
  2. The Commission will hold as many meetings as necessary to draw a preliminary ward map. These meetings will include public hearings and opportunities for written public comment.
  3. After public comment is received and public hearings are completed, the Commission will present the preliminary plan to the Board of Aldermen, which will make notes and recommendations.
  4. The Commission will vote on a proposed final map and hold additional public hearings and solicit written public comment.
  5. The Commission will adopt a final map by December 31 of the redistricting year.
  6. Upon adoption of a final map, the Commission will certify the map to the Board of Aldermen and issue a report explaining the basis for its decisions.
  7. The Commission and Oversight Committee will make all meeting materials and documents available to the public in accordance with state laws.

Redistricting Criteria

  • Wards will be established to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Districts may not be drawn with the intent of denying the equal opportunity of minorities to participate in the political process.
  • Wards must be composed of adjacent areas.
  • Wards must be designed to minimize the division of and maintain the geographic integrity of any local neighborhood or local community of interest. Communities of interest do not include relationships with political parties, incumbents, or political candidates.
  • Where possible, wards should be designed to be compact in form.
  • Where possible, wards should be designed using geographically identifiable boundaries, such as natural boundaries, street lines, or city boundary lines.

Board Requirements and Makeup

Requirements

Members of the Commission must:

  1. Be registered voters in the City of St. Louis for at least three consecutive years immediately preceding their appointment to the Commission;
  2. Have voted in at least one municipal election in the five years immediately preceding their appointment to the Commission; and
  3. Be free of conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest arises if, in the two years immediately preceding the date of appointment to the Commission, an applicant, or a First Degree Relative of the applicant has:
    1. Been appointed to, elected to, or been a candidate for state, county, or City office;
    2. Served as an officer, employee, or paid consultant of a political party or of the campaign committee of a candidate for elective state, county, federal, or City office;
    3. Been a registered state lobbyist, or local lobbyist who represented clients with interests in front of City government;
    4. Been a paid employee of the City of St. Louis; a person performing paid services under professional or political contract to the City, to the Board of Aldermen, or to any member of the Board of Aldermen; any Controlling Person of any such enterprise providing a professional or political contracted service to the City, to the Board of Aldermen, or to any member of the Board of Aldermen. This conflict of interest does not apply to the two board members who must be City employees.

Makeup

The Commission consists of nine members who represent the demographic make-up of the City of St. Louis. The members are chosen to reflect the City’s diversity, including racial, ethnic, sexuality, ability, age, area of residence, and gender diversity.

  • 1 member is from the Research Department of the Planning and Urban Design Agency to provide assistance, guidance, consultation, GIS mapping, and other resources.
  • 1 member is from the City Counselor’s Office to provide assistance, legal guidance, consultation, and other resources.
  • 7 members are residents of the City of St. Louis who are registered voters.

The first four members of the board are chosen via an Oversight Committee. Read more about this appointment process.

How to Apply

The application period for the People's Commission opens one month after the U.S. Census information has been released. The application period is 30-45 days long, depending on how many applications are received. The next application period will begin after 2030.

To apply for the board, you will need to complete an application form. The form will be available on paper at the Board of Aldermen, City Hall Room 230, or you may download it to fill out. When you sign the application form, you do so under penalty of perjury.

Send the completed form to:

Clerk
St. Louis Board of Aldermen
St. Louis City Hall
1200 Market Street, Room 230
St. Louis, Mo. 63103

After the application period has closed, the Board of Aldermen appoints an Oversight Committee to review applications and select a pool of potential Commission members. Four commission members are selected at random from this pool, and those four members appoint the other five members from the remaining list of applicants. This process can take several months to complete.

Read more about the People's Commission Oversight Committee.

Documents

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Policies

Proposition R - Ordinance 71493 established the People's Commission.

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