Virginia Redistricting Commission
Click here for all materials provided by the Division of Legislative Services, and recordings of past meetings, and information on all upcoming public hearings and meetings.
Contacting the Commission (and DLS staff):
Email them at varedist@dls.virginia.gov or see the Commissioners’ direct email addresses here.
If you want or need to contact the Commission staff without a computer:
Call 804.698.1810, ask for Claire Waters. She will take a message and pass it along to the Commission.
Mail maps, suggestions, feedback, and questions to:
DLS attn: Claire Waters
Pocahontas Building, 8th Floor
900 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
The members of the first Virginia Redistricting Commission are:
Del. Les Adams (R, Chatham)
James Abrenio (D, Fairfax)
Mackenzie K. Babichenko (R, Mechanicsville)
Sen. George Barker (D, Fairfax)
Jose A. Feliciano, Jr. (R, Fredericksburg)
Richard O. Harrell, III (R, South Boston)
Greta J. Harris (D, Richmond)
Brandon Hutchins (D, Virginia Beach)
Sean S. Kumar (D, Alexandria)
Sen. Mamie Locke (D, Hampton)
Sen. Ryan McDougle (R, Mechanicsville)
Del. Delores McQuinn (D, Richmond)
Del. Margaret Ransone (R, Kinsale)
Del. Marcus Simon (D, Falls Church)
Sen. Bill Stanley (R, Franklin)
Virginia Trost-Thornton (R, Forest)
Consultants to the Commission: the Commission has voted consistently to hire two sets of partisan contractors.
Legal Counsel:
Democrat - Dr. Kareem Crayton (Crimcard Consulting)
Democrat - J. Gerald Hebert
Republican - H. Christopher Bartolomucci (Schaerr Jaffe LLP)
Republican - Bryan Tyson (Taylor English Duma LLP)
Mapping Consultants:
Democrat - Ken Strasma (HaystaqDNA)
Republican - John Morgan
Communications and Outreach:
Access Point Public Affairs
Meeks Consulting
HISTORY:
On November 3, 2020, Virginia voters approved an amendment to the state constitution, which will create the first Virginia Redistricting Commission.
See the full text of the amendment here.
The General Assembly passed a bill (SB717) in the 2020 session that established criteria for map-drawing.
The General Assembly also passed enabling legislation in the state budget that elaborates on how the commission will operate, who will be eligible to serve, the diversity requirements throughout the process, and the rules by which the Supreme Court of Virginia must abide should they end up needing to establish the maps.
See the full text of the budget language here.
To view the full timeline for the 2021 redistricting process, click here.
To visit the new Virginia Redistricting website to learn more and see updated information and interactive maps, click here.
If you have further questions about the process or the eligibility requirements, email varedist@dls.virginia.gov.
how were the commissioners chosen?
Districts will be drawn by a commission composed of 8 citizens and 8 legislators, with one of the citizens serving as the Chair. The citizen selection process - which was recently completed - was politically balanced, and the final determination of who serves was made by a panel of five retired circuit court judges (see below.)
In making its selections, the selection committee was required to give consideration to the racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity of the Commonwealth.
See VPAP’s visual guide to the full process here.
who was on the selection committee?
The judges chosen by legislative leaders from both parties to be on the Redistricting Selection Committee are:
The Hon. Pamela Baskervill (Chair - Petersburg)
The Hon. Joanne F. Alper (Arlington)
The Hon. William C. Andrews, III (Williamsburg)
The Hon. Larry B. Kirksey (Bristol)
The Hon. David Pugh (Newport News)
Click here for the video of their first public meeting.
how can i apply to be on the commission?
The application period for the 2021 redistricting process is closed. To see more about the eligibility criteria for the applicants and the process itself, click here.