State political redistricting could weaken Hampton Roads

RICHMOND

State Sens. Frank Wagner and Jeff McWaters are supposed to be new neighbors. Ditto for Dels. Paula Miller and Lynwood Lewis, and Robin Abbott and Glenn Oder.

Those lawmakers are among the General Assembly members apparently being lumped into the same districts under redistricting plans crafted by House Republicans and Senate Democrats that were released Tuesday evening.

But even the best laid plans can have oversights.

While it’s clear the intent was to group Wagner and McWaters together, there was some confusion about whether the draft of Senate bailiwicks achieves that goal. Democratic officials involved in drawing the Senate map claimed the two Virginia Beach Republican senators had been drawn into the same district.

Republicans said lines on the Democrats’ map actually bypassed McWaters’ residence, placing Wagner with Sen. Harry Blevins, a Chesapeake Republican.

Either way, Hampton Roads suffers a hit in both plans because its population growth over the past decade was outpaced by communities in Northern Virginia, such as Loudoun and Prince William counties. Those areas would gain representation.

The House of Delegates plan, meanwhile, puts Miller and Lewis into a district that covers Norfolk and the Eastern Shore, setting up the potential that one of the Democrats could be eliminated by the November election. Similar thinking applies on the Peninsula, where first-term Newport News Democratic Del. Robin Abbott faces the prospect of sharing a Republican-leaning district with GOP Del. Glenn Oder.

Legislative boundaries for the state House and Senate and congressional seats are redrawn every 10 years in Virginia to reflect population changes. Lawmakers will hold a series of public hearings around the state this week, including one at 7 p.m. Thursday at Hampton University’s student center.

This year’s process, partisan as usual, has drawn calls for changes. Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed an advisory commission to make proposals and urged the panel to focus on creating compact districts based on common characteristics rather than political concerns. The group makes its recommendations Friday, but they are nonbinding.

Del. Chris Jones, a Suffolk Republican, called the House GOP’s proposal “a fair plan,” adding, “Input was received from both sides of the aisle, including the Black Caucus.”

The House plan maintains 12 majority-minority seats, while the Senate plan has five. Preserving districts with high concentrations of African American voters is a key concern for both legislative chambers because Virginia must adhere to the Voting Rights Act, a federal law designed to protect minority voting interests.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax County, took pride in the Democrats’ plan, produced under a tight deadline. Unlike some other states, Virginia is proceeding with redistricting this year because legislative elections are scheduled in the fall.

Lawmakers not involved in the mapping process were more critical.

“Senate Democrats have crafted an outrageously partisan redistricting plan that will go down as one of the most notorious examples of gerrymandering in history,” said Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, a James City County Republican whose district would undergo a makeover in the Democrats’ plan.

House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong chided Republicans for ignoring voters who “have consistently said they oppose splitting up towns, neighborhoods and precincts” as he said the House plan does.

In an odd twist, the House plan places Martinsville, a city Armstrong represents, in one district. The catch is that Armstrong, a Henry County Democrat, is drawn into a Republican district with another sitting legislator.

Likewise, the Senate plan places two Republican senators together: Sens. Steve Newman of Lynchburg and Ralph Smith of Botetourt County. Republican senators have introduced an alternative plan. They’ll need to muster some crossover votes if it is to gain any traction.

Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com