One of the lesser-covered but most positive election results this cycle came in Virginia, where voters approved a plan to strip the state legislature of its power to draw congressional maps, hopefully ending gerrymandering in the state. The amendment was overwhelmingly approved, earning well over 60% of the vote despite opposition from the controlling party in the General Assembly, which is, at the moment, the Democrats.
It remains to be seen how the plan works out. The way it works is that a bipartisan commission of legislators and citizens is appointed to draw maps, which the General Assembly then has the power to approve or deny. If the commission and the General Assembly can’t agree on maps, the state’s supreme court is in charge of running the process. At the very least, though, it’s progress, and it’s a positive step that reformers were able to even get the amendment on the ballot, given how gerrymandering reform is almost always opposed by those with the power to gerrymander (this piece from the Virginia Mercury has a great example of this in action, as the Republican and Democratic positions flipped on the topic when control of the General Assembly shifted following the 2018 midterm elections).
We’ll find out a lot more over the coming year or so. The commission is tasked with holding its first public meeting (part of the reform is designed to make the process public) by the first of February. Regardless of what kinks need to be worked out, the effort is progress, and a blueprint may be being laid for other states.
