Loudoun :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Redistricting Compromise
Posted by:
citizen Kane
()
Date: April 29, 2011 06:40AM
i just knew this would happen!!!!
State Senate Eyes Redistricting Compromise
Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2011 9:56 am | Updated: 9:57 am, Thu Apr 28, 2011.
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_7c4a5352-719f-11e0-b431-001cc4c03286.html
RICHMOND - The Virginia Senate has reached a tentative deal over how to draw new voting districts.
A small group of Republican and Democratic senators have been negotiating details of a revised map since Monday evening. If the Republican caucus supports the compromise map, a committee could debate the map Thursday morning and send the plan to the Senate in the afternoon.
Gov. Bob McDonnell earlier this month vetoed a bill that drew new House and Senate voting districts.
Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said the two sides have developed the framework for a compromise plan.
"There is technically not a deal until it's signed off by both caucuses," Saslaw said.
But the fate of the map remains uncertain. Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said that he has no map to take to the Republican caucus yet and that negotiations would continue Wednesday night.
Saslaw said the proposed new map should make members of both political parties happy. The Democrats would likely maintain their four-seat majority.
States must redraw district maps every 10 years to reflect population changes reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Lawmakers are using population data gathered during the 2010 census.
But the population deviation of about half of the 40 districts was reduced to better comply with the one person, one vote principle - something Republicans had been pushing. The plan also splits fewer precincts and communities compared to the original Senate map that McDonnell vetoed, Saslaw said.
The Hampton Roads area would lose a state Senate seat, as would the southwestern part of the state. And a Richmond-area district would shift to the west and would be more Republican than previously designed, he said.
The Prince William County and Manassas areas would be divided among five state Senate districts instead of the original six - another concern of Republican senators, Saslaw said.
Some changes also were made to the state Senate's new 22nd District, which would include part of Loudoun and Prince William counties, he said.
The original district had several fingers dipping off into other counties.
More than a half dozen senators spent all day Tuesday at the Capitol, worked late into the night and negotiated most of the day Wednesday to come up with the plan.
Saslaw said it was unrealistic to send the same map back to the governor, and he knew changes would need to be made to the plan, a departure from his initial reaction.
Saslaw initially vowed to send the same exact map to the governor a second time.
He said he believes the governor would sign off on the revised map because lawmakers addressed some of McDonnell's concerns. He also said it will garner support from Republican senators.
No Republicans voted for the Democratic-drawn state Senate map that McDonnell ultimately vetoed.
State Senate Eyes Redistricting Compromise
Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2011 9:56 am | Updated: 9:57 am, Thu Apr 28, 2011.
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/article_7c4a5352-719f-11e0-b431-001cc4c03286.html
RICHMOND - The Virginia Senate has reached a tentative deal over how to draw new voting districts.
A small group of Republican and Democratic senators have been negotiating details of a revised map since Monday evening. If the Republican caucus supports the compromise map, a committee could debate the map Thursday morning and send the plan to the Senate in the afternoon.
Gov. Bob McDonnell earlier this month vetoed a bill that drew new House and Senate voting districts.
Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said the two sides have developed the framework for a compromise plan.
"There is technically not a deal until it's signed off by both caucuses," Saslaw said.
But the fate of the map remains uncertain. Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, said that he has no map to take to the Republican caucus yet and that negotiations would continue Wednesday night.
Saslaw said the proposed new map should make members of both political parties happy. The Democrats would likely maintain their four-seat majority.
States must redraw district maps every 10 years to reflect population changes reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Lawmakers are using population data gathered during the 2010 census.
But the population deviation of about half of the 40 districts was reduced to better comply with the one person, one vote principle - something Republicans had been pushing. The plan also splits fewer precincts and communities compared to the original Senate map that McDonnell vetoed, Saslaw said.
The Hampton Roads area would lose a state Senate seat, as would the southwestern part of the state. And a Richmond-area district would shift to the west and would be more Republican than previously designed, he said.
The Prince William County and Manassas areas would be divided among five state Senate districts instead of the original six - another concern of Republican senators, Saslaw said.
Some changes also were made to the state Senate's new 22nd District, which would include part of Loudoun and Prince William counties, he said.
The original district had several fingers dipping off into other counties.
More than a half dozen senators spent all day Tuesday at the Capitol, worked late into the night and negotiated most of the day Wednesday to come up with the plan.
Saslaw said it was unrealistic to send the same map back to the governor, and he knew changes would need to be made to the plan, a departure from his initial reaction.
Saslaw initially vowed to send the same exact map to the governor a second time.
He said he believes the governor would sign off on the revised map because lawmakers addressed some of McDonnell's concerns. He also said it will garner support from Republican senators.
No Republicans voted for the Democratic-drawn state Senate map that McDonnell ultimately vetoed.