Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell vetoed the General Assembly’s plan to re-draw the lines for the state’s 100 House and 40 Senate districts, writing to delegates that he has “significant concerns” that the Democratic Senate’s plans may violate state and federal law.
In his veto letter, McDonnell wrote that the districts proposed in the Senate’s plan do not properly preserve locality lines and communities of interest, and may violate the “one person, one vote” mandate in the U.S. and Virginia constitutions.
He also noted that while the House plan passed on a bipartisan, 86-8 vote, the Senate passed its plan on a straight party-line vote.
“Certainly, the Senate can create a plan that will be supported by a bipartisan majority of senators, especially with the Senate’s overwhelming support for a bipartisan redistricting process as expressed in previous legislation,” he wrote.
The Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate had each approved plans largely crafted by the majority parties in each chamber. The maps would add one Senate seat and three House seats to Northern Virginia to accommodate population shifts in the state over the past decade.
So what does this mean? It could be back to the drawing board for Virginia legislators, who are scheduled to return to Richmond April 25. But — as McDonnell wrote — time is of the essence. Virginia is one of a handful of mostly southern states that have to pre-clear its redistricting plans with the Justice Department because of a history of racial discrimination at the polls.
Virginia’s statehouse primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 23.
