(The Center Square) – Control over drawing congressional district lines shifting temporarily back to the Virginia General Assembly is in a proposal from a Democratic state lawmaker.
House Bill 1384, carried by Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, would set April 21 as the date for a statewide referendum on a proposed constitutional amendment tied to congressional redistricting. The Virginia Redistricting Commission, according to the bill language, would resume its role as map architects following the next census in 2030.
If approved by voters, the amendment would allow the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps once before the next census.
Virginia is represented by six Democrats and five Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives. Across the country, many states have made attempts – some successful, others not – to redraw congressional maps in a bid for majority in the chamber.
Of Virginia’s 30 representatives this century, 18 have been Republicans and 12 Democrats. Majority today in the U.S. House is Republicans 218-213 with four vacancies.
Under the Virginia Constitution, redistricting typically occurs once every 10 years following the release of federal census data. In 2020, voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the Virginia Redistricting Commission, a bipartisan body made up of legislators and citizen members from both parties. The goal was to limit lawmakers’ direct role in drawing district boundaries.
That process broke down during the most recent redistricting cycle.
Census data that normally arrives in the spring was delayed until late summer because of COVID-19, compressing an already tight timeline. The commission, which required a supermajority vote to approve new maps, was unable to reach agreement before legal deadlines.
With no maps adopted, the responsibility shifted to the Virginia Supreme Court.
The court appointed two map drawers, one selected by Democratic leaders and one by Republican leaders, to draw new congressional and legislative districts. Those court-drawn maps were adopted ahead of the 2021 elections and remain in place today.
Because of the delays tied to the census and the commission’s failure to agree, House of Delegates elections in 2021 were held using district lines drawn after the previous census.
The legislation now moving through the General Assembly would give voters the opportunity to decide whether lawmakers should be permitted to revisit congressional district lines ahead of the next census, even though the current maps were drawn by the court only a few years ago.
The proposed referendum language specifies that any new congressional maps would be temporary and that Virginia’s standard redistricting process would resume after the 2030 census.
Before the question can appear on the ballot, the measure must pass both chambers of the General Assembly and be signed by first-term Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. If approved, the April 21 special election would proceed as outlined in the bill.
If voters approve the amendment, lawmakers would be able to adopt new congressional maps subject to existing constitutional requirements, including equal population standards and protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.
If voters reject the proposal, the current congressional maps would remain in place.
