Constitutional amendment; Virginia Redistricting Commission (first reference). (SJ37)
Introduced By
Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
✗ |
Passed Committee |
☐ |
Passed House |
☐ |
Passed Senate |
Description
Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Virginia Redistricting Commission. Establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission to redraw congressional and General Assembly district boundaries after each decennial census. Appointments to the 13-member Commission are to be made in the census year as follows: two each by the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in each house, and the state chairman of each of the two political parties receiving the most votes in the prior gubernatorial election. The 12 partisan members then select the thirteenth member by a majority vote or, if they cannot agree on a selection, they certify the two names receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which will name the thirteenth member. The Commission is directed to certify district plans for the General Assembly within one month of receipt of the new census data or by March 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later, and for the House of Representatives within three months of receipt of the census data or by June 1 of the year following the census, whichever is later. The standards to govern redistricting plans include the current constitutional standards on population equality, compactness, and contiguity and additional standards to minimize splits of localities and to prohibit consideration of incumbency and political data. Read the Bill »
Outcome
History
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| 01/03/2014 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/14 14100120D |
| 01/03/2014 | Referred to Committee on Privileges and Elections |
| 01/14/2014 | Continued to 2015 in Privileges and Elections (14-Y 0-N) |
Comments
The ACLU of Virginia is monitoring this legislation.
I strongly favor passage of Senator Deeds's proposed amendment to the VS constitution establishing a redistricting commission. Districting should encourage political competition and engagement, rather then allowing a minority party to assemble a bogus majority by packing its opponents into ghetto districts. Allowing minority viewpoints to dominate the legislature this way degrades democracy and prevents progress.
Along with this amendment, the legislature should at long last allow a statewide referendum on the matter in the fall.
I would prefer nonpartisan redistricting to bipartisan redistricting, but anything is better than the system that we have now.