Redistricting Wins First Approval

By unanimous vote, The Hyattsville City Council gave its preliminary approval to

Charter amendments must be voted on and approved twice before they become official. Not voting–on account of absence–were council members Carlos Lizanne (Ward 4), Nicole Hinds Mofor (Ward 5) and Paula Perry (Ward 4).

The new boundaries will not unseat any incumbent city council members, avoiding the need for special elections to sort out ward representation after the new districts become official. It also creates a , which would have a 50 percent Hispanic population.

Localities are required by state law to redraw their political boundaries every 10 years following the federal census. The overriding goal is to equalize the populations between wards to satisfy the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act. 

City officials had expressed interest in creating a minority-majority ward where Hispanics held a dominant share of at least one ward's population.  

Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, Hyattsville added about 3,500 residents to its population, growing from roughly 14,000 residents to roughly 17,500 residents. 

In that time, Hyattsville's Hispanic population increased from 2,670 residents to 5,970, most of it in West Hyattsville in Ward 4 and Ward 3.