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Council tells vendor to correct redistricting maps after candidate residency dispute
Summary
Staff told the council the town’s legally adopted redistricting description does not match vendor maps in the statewide voter database, causing a candidate challenge to Philip Fowler’s filing; the council voted to order vendor Elevate to correct the map to match the legal description.
The Monrovia Town Council moved to require its mapping vendor to correct a discrepancy between the town’s legally adopted redistricting descriptions and the maps that vendor uploaded to the statewide voter database, after staff said the mismatch prompted a challenge to Council member Philip Fowler’s candidacy.
Samantha (staff) told the council that the ordinance passed in 2022 included legal descriptions and maps; the vendor (identified in the meeting as Elevate/Schneider Geospatial) created a map that omitted a small piece of territory. That omission caused the statewide voter database to show Fowler as residing outside his district, triggering a formal challenge and an election-board hearing scheduled for the next day. Samantha said she had contacted the election division, county clerk, the vendor, prior town manager and others to trace the issue and said the legal description, not the vendor map, controls by statute. She recommended asking Elevate to correct the maps immediately so the statewide system matches the ordinance the town passed.
The council voted to contact Elevate and request an immediate correction. The motion was made and seconded and approved by voice vote.
Why it matters
If the statewide voter database does not match a municipality’s legal descriptions, candidates could be listed in the wrong district and ballots or filings could be affected. Staff said the error appears to be an administrative/technical error when the vendor merged data and uploaded it to the statewide system, and that correcting the uploaded map will restore alignment with the town’s adopted ordinance.
What happens next
Staff will ask Elevate to update its map to match the legal description and will follow up with the county and state election officials before the election-board hearing.
