Peoria Holds Successful Cumulative Voting Elections

Peoria (IL) used proportional voting to elect its City Council on April 17. Of ten seats, five are elected at large under cumulative voting, and the other five are elected from single-member, winner-take-all districts.

City residents have had cumulative voting rights since 1991, when plaintiffs and defendants settled a 1987 Voting Rights Act lawsuit against winner-take-all elections. Cumulative voting's record has been successful since then. A steady stream of African-Americans and political newcomers have been able to win representation. In 2007, Ryan Spain, 24, won his first political office with a largely grassroots campaign.

[ News and information on cumulative voting in Peoria ]
[ More on cumulative voting ]
[ More on the Voting Rights Act and proportional systems ]