Special in-person workshop on creation of Hayward Council voting districts Tuesday, July 9
Hayward residents are invited to a special in-person-only workshop on Tuesday to learn more about and participate in the creation of new legislative districts from which City Council members will be elected starting in 2026.
The special Map Hayward in-person workshop will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at the Chabot College Event Center, 25555 Hesperian Boulevard, building 700S, and will be hosted by Hayward City Clerk Miriam Lens and led by consulting demographer Karin Mac Donald.
Under a legal settlement announced May 21, the City of Hayward will move to a system of elections for City Council whereby all Council members except the City’s mayor will be from geographic districts rather than through at-large citywide elections. Once in effect, the change means voters will cast ballots to elect only their district Councilmember and for mayor rather than to fill all Council seats.
The change will take full effect starting in November 2026 when two of six non-mayoral seats on Hayward’s seven-member Council will be up for election followed by the remaining four non-mayoral seats in November 2028. Elections for mayor will remain at-large.
The court-approved settlement ended a lawsuit brought under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) on behalf of Hayward resident Jack Wu and Neighborhood Elections Now, Inc. The lawsuit asserted that Hayward’s at-large election system for Council unlawfully dilutes the voting power of Asian Americans. Per the settlement terms, legislation establishing Hayward’s six Council districts must be adopted by Oct. 14.
To provide information about Hayward’s move to district-based elections and facilitate community input and participation in the district map-drawing process, the City has established a website with map-drawing tools and other resources at www.MapHayward.org.
