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► The number of candidates available for election tends to be <br />larger. <br />However, at -large elections can weaken the representation of particular <br />groups, such as people of color, especially if the group does not have a <br />citywide base of operations or is an ethnic or racial group <br />concentrated in a specific ward. <br />At -large election systems are prevalent at the municipal level and a <br />considerable majority make use of at -large voting in some way. At - <br />large elections tend to be more practical in small cities and more <br />homogeneous areas. <br />District <br />These elections select a single council member from a corresponding <br />geographical section of the city, called a district or ward. District <br />election proponents favor having council members elected to <br />represent individual wards because: <br />► District elections give all legitimate groups, especially those with <br />a geographic base, a better chance of being represented on the <br />city council, especially communities of color. Several court <br />decisions have forced jurisdictions to switch from at -large <br />elections to district elections, and in most cases the reason was <br />to allow more representation by specific ethnic and racial groups <br />acknowledging that the prior system was a denial of equal access <br />to the city's political process. (See: McNeil v. City of Springfield, <br />IL, 1987; and Williams v. City of Dallas, 1990; and Montes v. City of <br />Yakima, 2014); <br />► District councilmembers are more attuned to the unique <br />problems of their constituents, such as crime levels, small lot <br />development, trash pick-up, potholes, and recreation programs; <br />and <br />► District elections may improve citizen participation because <br />councilmembers who represent a specific district may be more <br />responsive to their constituency. <br />However, councils elected by district elections may experience <br />more infighting and be less likely to prioritize the good of the city over <br />the good of their district. Larger municipalities tend to use district <br />elections (Chicago and Philadelphia are examples). <br />Mixed -System <br />