The Virginia House voted in favor of a resolution that moves the commonwealth one step closer to a constitutional amendment establishing an independent redistricting commission after a handful of Democrats voted with the Republican minority.
With Friday’s House approval of Senate Joint Resolution 18, identical amendment language has passed both chambers of the General Assembly in two consecutive years, which is the first step required to approve a constitutional amendment. The proposed amendment will be placed on the ballot for Virginians to vote on in a referendum, which is the final step to add it to the state constitution.
The amendment would establish a 16-person bipartisan redistricting commission that would have the authority to propose redistricting plans to the General Assembly. The General Assembly would be able to approve the proposals or decline them, but would not be able to offer any amendments to the bills. Currently, redistricting is handled by the General Assembly without any oversight, which gives the majority party control over drawing the lines.
The House voted 54-46 to approve the resolution after it rejected a substitution proposed by Del. Marcus Simon, D-Falls Church. The substitution would have added language designed to further prevent gerrymandering, especially racial gerrymandering, but it also would have restarted the clock on the amendment process and prolonged it.
Speaking to his substitution on the House floor, Simon said he understood it would restart the process, but that it would create better legislation. He said his substitution shows what proper redistricting reform should look like.
Simon and other Democrats, including several members of the Legislative Black Caucus, discouraged the chamber from voting for the resolution in its initial form.
Del. Marcia Price, D-Newport News, said that the commission should be required to reflect the demographics of Virginia and that the resolution should include language to prevent racial gerrymandering.
Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico accused the Democrats who voted with Republicans of ignoring black voices.
“Those individuals who voted with the Republicans were on their phones,” he said.
An identical resolution passed in both chambers of the General Assembly with vast bipartisan support last year when Democrats were in the minority. It still had substantial bipartisan support in the Senate this year, passing the chamber 38-2.
