Election Day, that would change the way we draw lines for Virginia Senate and House districts as well as congressional districts after each census.
I hope you will vote "yes" on Amendment 1!
Amendment 1 is long-overdue, and is finally on the ballot. It creates a commission of citizens and legislators of both parties to draw district lines in a non-partisan way. The aim is to end gerrymandering (wandering, oddly-shaped) districts in Virginia, in which legislators draw lines on a map and literally pick their voters by packing voters known to support one party or the other into districts to help ensure a particular outcome on election day.
You can read the details of the amendment here. I voted for this legislation to end gerrymandering last year and this year, as did all Republican Delegates. I'm glad to see the issue is now before the voters.
A bipartisan group of citizens has organized to encourage a “yes” vote on Amendment 1. See more information about FairMapsVA here.
Amendment 1 has bipartisan support from Republicans like me and the Republican Party of Virginia and fair-minded Democrats as well. Many independent groups such as the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the League of Women Voters support the amendment, as do major newspapers like the Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Roanoke Times and the Winchester Star.
Similar procedures have worked well in other states. One likely, beneficial result is that more legislative districts will have competitive election campaigns, meaning candidates will have to hustle to earn your vote rather than take your vote for granted. Once elected, legislators will likely be more attentive to voters as well.
Thanks for considering these views, and please be sure to vote!
Other candidates and issues on the ballot:
