redistricting Archives - The Virginia Star

Democratic Virginia Candidates Compete for Primary Wins in Newly Drawn Districts

June 23, 2023June 22, 2023 The Center Square

In yesterday’s General Assembly primaries, competition was fierce among Democrats for unclaimed Senate districts newly defined in Virginia’s last redistricting in 2021.

Incumbents represented a little more than one-third of the commonwealth’s senatorial candidates. Ten Democratic Senators returned to contend for their seats, with eight competing against newcomers and two squaring off against each other for the up-for-grabs 18th District. Four of the eight incumbent-challenger Democratic races went to the current Senators.

Democrats’ Dreams Turn to Dust as Adjudicated Redistricting Maps Set the Stage for Large Republican Gains in 2022

May 10, 2022May 9, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

The Democratic Party’s hopes of gaining seats from redistricting have been crushed as court decisions and an increasingly aggressive GOP produced more Republican-friendly maps.

Democrats were initially optimistic that they could mitigate projected midterm losses in the House when it appeared they were poised to score wins in the redistricting process. However, the party’s hopes have been dashed after key losses in major states erased their redistricting advantage.

The John Fredericks Show: Virginia State Senate Candidate John McGuire Talks Youngkin’s Tax Cut

April 8, 2022April 7, 2022 Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The John Fredericks Show, host Fredericks welcomed House Delegates member John McGuire who is now running for the Virginia State Senate to talk about why his running and getting Governor Younkin’s tax cut passed through the Senate.

Louisiana’s Republican Legislature Overrides Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards Veto of Redistricting Plan

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Louisiana’s Republican-controlled legislature voted to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’s veto of the congressional redistricting plan they passed in mid-February.

The new congressional maps will maintain the partisan makeup status quo of the the state’s delegation to the United States House of Representatives.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu Unveils Redistricting Plan

March 24, 2022March 23, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has unveiled his redistricting plan for the state’s two congressional districts.

This comes after Sununu, a Republican, promised to veto the GOP-controlled legislature’s approved redistricting plan.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu to Veto Republican Legislature Redistricting Plan

March 18, 2022March 17, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

New Hampshire Governor Republican Chris Sununu has declared that he will veto the redistricting plan that was passed by the state Senate on Thursday.

The plan had previously passed the state House in January.

New Hampshire State Senate Set to Vote on House-Passed Redistricting Proposal

March 17, 2022March 16, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The New Hampshire State Senate is set to vote on the House-approved redistricting plan on Thursday.

New Hampshire is one of four remaining states that have yet to complete their congressional redistricting process. The others are Louisiana, Florida, and Missouri.

Democrats Currently Lead in National Redistricting Efforts with Four States Still Completing Process

March 10, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Democrats currently have the lead in redistricting efforts with four states still working on new maps.

Forty states, 46 if the states that have one congressional district are included, have finished the process of drawing new maps for U.S. House of Representatives districts. Only Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have yet to finish their redistricting process.

New York Officially Adopts New Congressional Lines that Could Axe Half the GOP Delegation

February 8, 2022February 7, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul late Thursday signed a new congressional map into law that could eliminate half of the state’s Republicans in the House.

The signing, reported by the Associated Press, comes just days after the state legislature advanced the map on near party lines. The map gives Democrats an advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 seats.

Analysis: States Where Unelected Bureaucrats Took over Redistricting Experienced Difficulties

December 29, 2021December 28, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

In Michigan, the state’s civil rights agency said proposed maps of legislative districts “do not measure up to the requirements of the law.” In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers complained about an “extreme partisan gerrymander.” And in Virginia, incumbents and potential challengers scrambled to work with proposed district maps.

In theory, new bureaucracies to draw up maps for congressional and legislative districts were supposed to save democracy from politics and block the practice of gerrymandering.

Pennsylvania House Committee Releases Public-Drawn Congressional Redistricting Map

December 11, 2021December 10, 2021 The Center Square

The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee has unveiled a preliminary map for new congressional districts, selected from one of 19 submitted by the public.

Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, chair of the State Government Committee, said a map submitted by Lehigh County resident Amanda Holt was selected because it was crafted without political influence, met constitutional standards and limited splits of townships and municipalities, among other factors.

North Carolina Adopts New Congressional Map That Favors Republicans

November 7, 2021November 6, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The North Carolina General Assembly on Thursday finalized the state’s new U.S. House map that gives Republicans a distinct advantage over Democrats.

The map creates 10 safe Republican seats, three safe Democratic seats and one competitive seat, up from the current 8-5 map now. North Carolina is the only state where the legislature has full control over the redistricting process, meaning that the new lines can skirt what would be an all but certain veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and go into effect.

Pennsylvania Bill Would Clarify That Courts Can’t Redraw Electoral Maps, as State Supreme Court Did in 2018

October 27, 2021October 26, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

Legislation currently in the works in the Pennsylvania General Assembly would spell out two rules for redistricting in the Keystone State: Elections cannot legally take place in outdated districts and courts can’t create new districts themselves.

In Feb. 2018, the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court not only struck down Pennsylvania’s congressional maps as unconstitutionally gerrymandered, it reimposed new maps created with no input from the legislature, something state law does not grant the court the right to do. The new maps strongly favored the Democrats’ electoral prospects.

Virginia Redistricting Commission Replaces Marvin Gilliam with Virginia Trost-Thornton

July 20, 2021July 19, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

Virginia Trost-Thornton became the newest member of the Virginia Redistricting Commission (VRC) on Monday, replacing Republican citizen member Marvin W. Gilliam Jr.

Made up of both state legislators and other appointees, the VRC is tasked with the redrawing of congressional and state legislative districts.

Redistricting Will Not Be Complete in Time for 2021 House of Delegates Elections

April 3, 2021April 2, 2021 Eric Burk

Redistricting for Virginia’s legislative districts will not be complete in time for the 2021 House of Delegates elections, according to a draft timeline presented at a Virginia Redistricting Commission (VRC) meeting Tuesday. Census data is not expected until mid-August, which starts a 45-day timeline for the commission to send completed House and Senate maps to the General Assembly. As a result, Virginia may have House of Delegates races three years in a row: 2021, 2022 based on new districts, and the regularly scheduled 2023 election.

Retired Judges Select Eight Citizens to Serve on Virginia Redistricting Commission

January 8, 2021January 7, 2021 Jacob Taylor

A selection committee of five retired judges on Wednesday chose the eight citizens who will serve on the Virginia Redistricting Commission, completing the membership determination process for the newly-implemented body tasked with proposing plans for redrawing the Commonwealth’s 111 congressional and legislative districts.

The judges met for several hours on Wednesday morning and had to come up with the eight names from a pool of 62 finalists.

Legislative Leaders Pick Citizen Finalists for Virginia Redistricting Commission

January 6, 2021January 5, 2021 Jacob Taylor

The four legislative leaders of the House of Delegates and state Senate picked 62 citizen finalists last Friday to be considered for eight available spots on Virginia’s new redistricting commission.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax), House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah), Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) and Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City) were responsible for making lists of 16 citizens out of more than 1,200 applicants.

New Virginia PAC Opposes Citizen-Led Redistricting Committee

August 27, 2020August 26, 2020 Jordyn Pair

A group of Virginians have started Fair Districts, a political action committee (PAC) created to oppose Amendment 1.

Amendment 1 — supported by FairMapsVA, a separate PAC — will create a citizen-led committee to lead redistricting in the state.

Supreme Court Lets Contested District Maps In Texas, NC Remain In Effect

June 27, 2018June 26, 2018 Admin

by Kevin Daley The U.S. Supreme Court Monday cleared the way for Texas and North Carolina to use a set of contested legislative district lines, declining to side with plaintiffs who alleged the maps were gerrymandered for partisan or racial advantage. The decisions come one week after the high…