Politicians who benefit from rigging Virginia elections stifled redistricting reform in the General Assembly this week, but the anti-gerrymandering advocates at OneVirginia2021 don’t plan to let the issue fade away.
At 9:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17, the non-partisan redistricting reform group and its supporters will attend the House Privileges and Elections Committee meeting on the 9th floor of the General Assembly Building to stage a silent protest at the House leadership’s failure to allow a full vote on anti-gerrymandering bills. Then, as the House and Senate are called into session, the group will line the pathway to the Capitol, to cheer and thank the members of both chambers who support banishing partisan political self-dealing from the process of drawing election districts.
“We’re not going away,” said Brian Cannon, executive director of OneVirginia2021. “Friday’s events are intended to let the opponents of fair elections know that the voters are still watching, and to thank the members of the House and Senate from both parties who are standing up to say it’s past time to take partisan district-rigging out of our elections.”
An information session about the next steps in the fight for fair elections will follow, including an update on OneVirginia2021’s lawsuit to require the General Assembly to abide by the Virginia Constitution’s explicit command to draw election districts that are compact – not the sprawling, twisted boundaries that carve up communities and allow politicians to choose which voters to include in their districts.
Highlighted for supporting the self-serving process now in place are the five House members who used a subcommittee vote on Tuesday to kill bipartisan anti-gerrymandering bills passed by the Senate:
- Del. S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk
- Del. Mark L. Cole, R-Spotsylvania
- Del. Margaret B. Ransone, R-Westmoreland
- Del. Hyland F. “Buddy” Fowler Jr., R-Hanover
- Del. Les R. Adams, R-Pittsylvania
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