Justice Department approves Va. redistricting plan

Maps revising Virginia's legislative districts have been approved by the U.S. Department of Justice for use in the General Assembly elections later this year, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli announced Friday afternoon.

Those plans to redefine the 140 state House and Senate territories based on Census data were submitted to federal authorities for review this spring after the legislature approved them.

Virginia is among the states required to received preclearance from federal authorities for proposed changes to election practices as a condition of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a federal law that seeks to protect minority voting interests.

Cuccinelli said the federal approval of Virginia's plan means that legislative primary and general elections scheduled for this year will be held on time.

It also confirms the state "complied with all legal and constitutional requirements in adopting the new district lines," he said.

Hampton Roads loses representation under the approved redistricting plan because the region's population growth was outpaced by booming areas of that state like northern Virginia, which gained from the process.

Lawmakers returned to Richmond in April to take up redistricting, but the first plan they approved was vetoed by Gov. Bob McDonnell, who objected to what he deemed "partisan gerrymandering" in the map adopted by Senate Democrats.

A revised plan was passed within weeks and signed by McDonnell, before being sent to Justice for review.

Still unresolved are differences over competing reapportionment plans for Virginia's 11 congressional districts. A select group of lawmakers are working on a compromise.

-- Julian Walker

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.