It is important, now more than ever before, for people to be able to define their own communities and those be reflected in the maps. We must ensure that every person, regardless of skin color, income level, or zip code, has an equal opportunity to select the representatives of their choice.
redistricting
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ICYMI: Virginia Redistricting Commission Passes the Drawing of Political Districts to Virginia Supreme Court
The Virginia Redistricting Commission’s efforts to create fair legislative maps have failed. The commission missed the final deadline for drawing legislatives districts and now the Supreme Court of Virginia will have to pick up the slack.
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ICYMI: Republicans Refusal to Compromise Continues to Undermines Fair Districting Process
Richmond, Virginia—On Monday, the tensions were high at the Virginia Redistricting Commission meeting, as members of the commission accused each other of acting in bad faith resulting in a “fundamental lack of trust.” It seems as members of the commission have given up entirely on coming up with a compromise on state level maps, and […]
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We Define Our Communities, Not Politicians
Every 10 years, Americans participate in the U.S. Census. (You filled out your census form last year, right?) The information from the Census is then used in conjunction with input from communities to draw political maps. Those maps then determine what district we live in, who represents us, and how they will allocate resources for […]
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ICYMI: Bipartisan Is Not Nonpartisan—Redistricting Commission Takes On Political Tone It Was Created To Avoid
Richmond, Virginia—On Monday, it became clear that Virginian’s hope for a nonpartisan commission, prioritizing communities of people over politics, is rapidly diminishing. The partisan divide began when each political side armed themselves with partisan legal counsel, and it increased when determining an organization to assist with the map-drawing process. In meetings of the Redistricting Commission, […]
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ICYMI: First Major Decision of Redistricting Commission Undermines Veneer of Nonpartisanship
Richmond, Virginia—Yesterday, the Virginia Redistricting Commission made its first major decision since its formation. On a 10-4 vote, they decided to hire two partisan lawyers to provide guidance throughout the map-drawing process and rejected the idea of seeking out a non-partisan lawyer. “Virginians voted for a non-partisan community mapping process, but instead they are getting […]
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Three Reasons You Should Pay Attention to the Redistricting Commission
We all know that our democracy works best when everyone is able to participate and have their voice heard. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to vote and have their vote count just as much as their neighbor’s vote. But for years, politicians have been working together to rig the system and pick their voters […]
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Congressman McEachin Statement on Amendment 1
RICHMOND, V.A. – Congressman A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) today released the following statement regarding Amendment 1: “This election season, I strongly encourage all Virginians to vote ‘NO’ on Amendment 1. This Constitutional Amendment, contrary to perception, does not address gerrymandering and, therefore, does not serve the citizens of the Commonwealth. Instead, it would worsen the […]
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Keep Dirty Politics Out of Our State Constitution: Vote No on Amendment 1
Election season is coming! We can start voting in just a few weeks, and whether you plan to vote by mail, vote early in person, or vote on Election Day, you’re probably thinking about how you are going to vote. You probably know how you are voting for president, but have you thought about the […]
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Our Greatest Ally in Fair Redistricting: The Census
Our census form arrived about five days ago, right at the start of our intense social distancing. As millennials, my partner and I have never actually filled out a census form ourselves before, and, since we’re big politics nerds, we were weirdly excited about it. via GIPHY One reason the census is such a big […]