VA Ends Prison Gerrymandering

Virginia is the latest State to End Prison Gerrymandering, which is the Practice of Counting Incarcerated People where they are Detained rather than at their Last Known Residence for purposes of Redistricting.

The Adoption of Senate Bill 717 and House Bill 1255 paves the way for Virginia to Draw Fairer Maps. Virginia adds to a wave of State Action against Prison Gerrymandering that seemed unthinkable just a year ago.

Since May 2019, five States: Colorado, New Jersey, Nevada, Washington State, and now Virginia, have adopted Laws against Prison Gerrymandering. Until then, only Four had done so: California, Delaware, Maryland, and New York.

When these States Next Draw their Legislative Maps, and in most Cases their Congressional and Local Maps, they will Count People where they Last Lived.

“The reality is that when they’re released from prison and they’re back in their home locality, that’s where they need resources,” said Tram Nguyen, Co-Executive Director of New Virginia Majority, a Progressive Group that Supported Virginia’s Laws. “It’s their home safety nets that will be important, and so it’s important that they be counted in their home localities.”

Prison Gerrymandering shifts Political Power toward the typically more Rural and Whiter Communities where Prisons are Located, and away from Cities and Areas with more Black and Minority Residents that Suffer the Brunt of Over-Policing and Incarceration.

Besides skewing Statewide Maps, it can gravely Distort the Boundaries of Local Districts, such as those of City Councils and County Commissions, based on where a Jail or a Prison is Located. According to the League of Women Voters of Virginia, Seven Virginia Counties Drew a District this Decade where at least 25% of the Population is Incarcerated; in Lunenburg County, there is a District where Two-Thirds of a Population is Incarcerated.

In Virginia, the Incarceration Rate among African Americans is Five Times Higher than among Whites, and consequent Political Inequalities have been a longtime source of Concern.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker