The Saugus Union School District Governing Board voted unanimously Tuesday evening to cancel the upcoming Nov. election, extend all board members’ current terms and reschedule elections from odd to even years.

“The board desires to change the dates of future Board member elections to be consolidated with the California statewide general election in Nov. 2016 in order to increase and enhance voter participation,” according to the agenda.

The District will convert from odd to even year elections, thus extending each Governing Board member’s term by one year.

This was in response to a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit that was filed against the Saugus Union School District earlier this year, claiming the district made Latino residents unable to elect candidates of their choice.

The rescheduling of Governing Board member elections from odd to even years will commence with the 2016 Governing Board Election.

The term of each Governing Board member expiring in Nov. 2015 will be extended to Nov. 2016 and the term of board members expiring in Nov. 2017 will be extended to Nov. 2018, according to the agenda.

On April 21, 2015, the Board voted to approve and adopt a resolution to order biennial Governing Board Elections to be scheduled for Nov. 3, 2015.

Board member David Powell commented that the voter turnout in 2013 was 6.6 percent.

The Board voted to nullify the previous resolution from April 21 at Tuesday’s meeting but was met with opposition.

“I believe that the election that was already voted for in November is a sacred contract,” said Steve Petzold, a Santa Clarita Valley resident who attended Tuesday’s board meeting.

The request will go on to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for review.

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The purpose of the shift is “to increase and enhance voter participation” as outlined in a proposed settlement of a lawsuit brought against the district in April by Jim Soliz, who is also suing the city of Santa Clarita and College of the Canyons.

In the Saugus lawsuit, Soliz, a community activist, seeks to require the school district to “implement district-based elections or other alternative relief tailored to remedy” the district’s alleged violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

Soliz’s lawsuit alleges that the “imposition of SUSD’s at-large method of election has resulted in vote dilution for the Latino residents and has denied them effective political participation in elections to the SUSD Board of Trustees.”

No California Voting Rights Act lawsuit has ever been successfully defended.