Drawing districts

Our recommendations to legislative committees

A. Respect communities.

1. Respect communities of interest, whether ethnic, environmental, demographic, or economic.
2. Keep planning districts together to the extent practical and reasonable.
3. Keep districts contiguous for pedestrians, vehicular traffic, and mass transit.
4. Run electoral district boundaries along county lines.
5. Divide as few counties and cities as possible. Where necessary, divide only the largest counties and cities. Divide counties and cities into as few pieces as possible.
6. Where counties must be divided, run electoral district boundaries along magisterial district lines. Divide as few magisterial districts as possible. Divide magisterial districts into as few pieces as possible.
7. Where cities must be divided, run electoral district boundaries along borough lines. Divide as few boroughs as possible. Divide boroughs into as few pieces as possible.
8. Where boroughs and magisterial districts must be divided, run electoral district boundaries along recognized local boundaries, with preference to natural boundaries such as rivers, sparsely-populated mountain ridges, railroads, highways, parkland, and forests.
9. Avoid dividing neighborhoods, including South Roanoke and Lindenwood. If it ever proves necessary to do so, divide only large neighborhoods along clear boundaries.
10. To the extent possible, count institutional populations in the people's home communities, where they, their families, and their neighbors vote.
11. Keep districts compact, rather than elongated or contorted.
12. Provide each district with a number and a name. Assign these after the districts are drawn, not before. Assign numbers in a logical sequence, so that each may be found easily once one has found districts with adjacent numbers. Within each unit of government, try to keep numbers sequential. Assign the smallest numbers to the districts with the smallest area, as larger numbers do not fit well into small districts on maps. Assign geographic names that describe the character, communities, or landmarks contained within each district.

B. Avoid pitfalls that tend to thwart democracy.

1. Do not try to preserve current districts or their cores against population shifts, as they have had their day and must give way to new districts that are now deserving.
2. Do not protect incumbent legislators with eroding bases of support, as their artificial tenure will only delay the passage of innovative legislation that we need in a changing world.
3. Don't treat this as a partisan game, because that is not what matters to us voters. We common folk put our trust in people, not parties. On the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, no party has a majority; there are three independents and three Democrats, with the swing vote provided by a lone Democrat. Although the majority of Roanoke County supervisors are Republican, they are chaired by an independent. Roanoke's most popular mayor was a Republican elected four times from the most heavily Democratic quadrant of the city.

C. Keep the process open.

1. Invite, facilitate, and consider public input throughout the process.
2. Invite public comment on maps submitted by the public.
3. Provide a full, public report. If it becomes clear that preference voting in mult-imember districts would produce results that better suit the electorate, report the specifics. If you find that any local government boundaries or the state line hamper the expression of the people's will, report on those facts. Some politicians may not want to see the information, but the public deserves to know about any opportunity to improve government.
4. When you encounter problems, ask for help. I'll gladly provide assistance. I'm sure other experienced volunteers can be lined up, as well.

D. Verify information.

1. Redistricting Law 2010 by the National Conference of State Legislatures says in a note on page 84 that Fairfax city has bailed out of Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act. On page 97, note 469 says that Fairfax County has bailed out. As there is no source or date provided to document these actions, it is difficult to tell which if either localities is still subject to federal preclearance.

Schedule of public hearings of redistricting subcommittees and commissions in 2010-2011:

• Wednesday, 8 September 2010, 7:00 p.m., Natural Science Center, Virginia Western Community College, 3102 Colonial Avenue, SW, Roanoke;
  
  
• Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 7:00 p.m., Natural Science Center, Virginia Western Community College, 3102 Colonial Avenue, SW, Roanoke;
  
  
• Thursday, 4 November 2010, 7:00 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 765 Lynn Street, Herndon
  
  
• Thursday, 2 December 2010, 7:00 p.m., The Forum, Building A, Tidewater Community College, 120 Campus Drive, Portsmouth
  
  
• Monday, 6 December 2010, 7:00 p.m., University Hall, University of Mary Washington (Stafford Campus)
  
  
• Friday, 17 December 2010, 10:00 a.m. (time approximate, after Governor's remarks to the money committees), 9th Floor Appropriations Room, General Assembly Building, Richmond
  
  
• Friday, 17 December 2010, 11:00 a.m., Senate Room B, General Assembly Building, Capitol Square, Richmond
  
  
• Friday, 11 March 2011, 2:00 p.m., House Room 1, The Capitol, Richmond
  
  
• Monday, 14 March 2011, 7:00 p.m., Natural Science Center, Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke
  
  
• Tuesday, 15 March 2011, 7:00 p.m., Meese Conference Room, Mason Hall, George Mason University,
  
  
• Monday, 21 March 2011 7:00 p.m., Ballroom 149, New Student Center, Norfolk State University, Norfolk
  
  
• Thursday, 31 March 2011, 7:00 p.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Hampton University - Student Center Ballroom, 135 Marshall Avenue, Hampton, VA 23668
  
  
• Thursday, 31 March 2011, 7:30 p.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Loudoun County Government Center, Loudon County Board Room,1 Harrison Street, S.E., Fifth Floor, Leesburg, VA 20177
  
  
• Thursday, 31 March 2011, 7:30 p.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Roanoke Higher Education Center, 108 North Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24016
  
  
• Saturday, 2 April 2011, 10:00 a.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Augusta County Government Center, Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 18 Government Center Lane, Verona, VA 24482
  
  
• Saturday, 2 April 2011, 10:30 a.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Fairfax County Government Center, Board of Supervisors Auditorium, 12000 Government Center, Fairfax, VA 22035
  
  
• Saturday, 2 April 2011, 2:00 p.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Classrooms 103-104, One Partnership Circle, Abingdon, VA 24210
  
  
• Saturday, 2 April 2011, 7:00 p.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; Regional Center for Advanced Technology and Training, 121 Slayton Avenue, Danville, VA 24540
  
  
• Tuesday, 4 April 2011, 10:00 a.m., Public Hearing on Redistricting - House and Senate Committees on Privileges and Elections; House Room D, General Assembly Building