Voters will now have the Opportunity to make Gerrymandering Illegal in Virginia at the Ballot this November.
This is a Huge Victory for OneVirginia2021 and all Virginians.
Thousands of RepresentUs Members Created real Pressure that the Politicians couldn’t Ignore.
In February, 2019, the General Assembly passed the "First Read" of an Amendment that would Establish the First ever Virginia Redistricting Commission:
- Made up of Eight Legislators and Eight Citizens with a Citizen Chairperson.
- Selected by Retired Judges from Lists provided by Both Parties in both Chambers of the General Assembly.
- Maps require the Votes of Six Legislators and Six Citizens to Pass.
- The Legislature gets an Up-or-Down Vote but Not the Ability to Amend.
- Every Step of the Proceedings would be Open to the Public.
Additional Legislation to Improve the Criteria Surrounding the Commission before New Districts are Drawn. This includes:
Commission Members and Selection
- Citizen and Legislative Members should be Representative of the Diversity of the Commonwealth, including, but Not Limited to Racial, Ethnic, Geographic, and Gender Diversity.
- Citizen Members must be Properly Qualified and thoroughly Vetted for Conflicts.
- Selection Process should be done Equitably by a Diverse Committee of Retired Judges.
Mapping Criteria
- Rules must be put in place to Prohibit All Forms of Gerrymandering.
- No Political Data should be used, except to Ensure Racial or Ethnic Representation.
- Districts should have an Equal Population, be Contiguous and Compact, and Respect Racial Equity, Existing Municipal Boundaries, and Communities of Interest.
Community Engagement
- Additional Transparency Provisions should be Added, including an Active Real-Time Web Presence and Prohibition on Outside Communications of Commission Members.
- All Meetings should be as Open as possible, complete with Translators, Adequate Notice before Meetings and a Simple process for FOIA Requests.
- Public Input and Attendance should also be Statutorily Encouraged, with Multiple Congressional District-Wide Meetings and Heavily Publicized Preliminary Maps.
Supreme Court of Virginia (SCOVA)
- In the unlikely event of a Gridlocked Commission, Strong Rules should be put in place to Address the Process from there, including how a Qualified Special Master is Appointed to Draw the Districts.
- Special Master must Abide by the Same Legal Requirements and Criteria tasked to the Commission.
- SCOVA should also be Required to Produce a Detailed Explanation of their Methodology and All Data that was used to Draw their Maps.
- Recusal of any Justice that is a Spouse or Immediate Relative of a Member of Congress or General Assembly.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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