Dear Friend,
I am following up on my email earlier this week to provide you with additional information regarding the General Assembly’s special session. I’ll give you “the quick read” and then provide some additional context.
The Quick Read
In short, the Democrat’s proposed constitutional amendment that would afford them a free pass to gerrymander Virginia’s congressional districts passed. I voted against this proposal.
There are several legal cases expected to take place that have the potential to stop HJ6007 dead in its tracks. Either way, the General Assembly will be debating this issue again when we return in January.
A Bit More Context
As you know, Democrats called the legislature back to Richmond this week to debate a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the General Assembly a free-pass to gerrymander congressional districts. Their proposal, HJ6007, specifically authorizes the House and Senate to redraw congressional lines when other states undertake mid-decade redistricting. I voted against this proposal.
There are a few key problems with HJ6007.
First, I find it irresponsible to tie Virginia’s constitution to actions being taken in other states. As I stated in a committee hearing on Wednesday, I represent no one from Texas or California. I only represent people of the 74th House District. Voters in Virginia voted overwhelmingly in 2020 to end partisan gerrymandering. I do not believe we should overturn the decision of 2.7 million voters.
Secondly, the proposal comes too late for consideration by the General Assembly. Because this plan seeks to amend the state constitution (specifically Article II, Section 6-A that establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission), it must follow a set formula. That means the proposed text must pass the legislature twice with an intervening election. The problem here is that the election already started on September 19th when we kicked off 45 days of early voting. The attempt to push through an amendment the week before a general election is highly concerning and underscores the partisan nature of this special session.
To be fair and balanced, it is important to note that we are only debating the process at this point in time. No specific maps have been put before the General Assembly for consideration. That being said, senior Democratic legislators have taken to social media to opine on different ideas.
The above proposal has drawn praise from Democratic members of the Senate. You can see in this extreme gerrymander that Richmond and Roanoke are combined into one district. Further, Virginia Beach and part of Fairfax are combined in a winding district via the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore. This is the exact type of gerrymandering that Virginians said goodbye to when we voted in 2020 to establish the Virginia Redistricting Commission and take the redistricting process out of the direct hands of the General Assembly.
I am told that the House has now completed its portion of the special session and will not be returning to the Capitol this year. This issue is expected to play out in the courts and will almost certainly be a matter of discussion when legislators return to the State Capitol in January for our regularly scheduled legislative session.
I hope you find this update informative and useful. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Sincerely,
Mike Cherry