8 ‘citizens’ will help draw Virginia’s new political map
Half the people who will draw some of Virginia’s most important political boundaries for the next decade are supposed to be “citizen members” — everyday people unlikely to engage in the partisan gamesmanship that mars this arcane process.
So far, the roughly 200 volunteers who have offered to represent average Virginians are exceedingly white, rich, older and male in a state with many young, female Black and brown voters. Experts worry that will lead to a panel that doesn’t fully reflect the state, and they hope a lot more people will sign up before the Dec. 28 deadline.
But the application is confusing, and it may be dissuading some qualified candidates from filling out a form.
For Rebecca Green, who teaches election law at the College of William & Mary and has closely followed the redistricting process, the ideal pool is “several thousand.”
“There’s been so much unrest and social injustice protests and so much attention given to structural problems with how our democracy is arranged,” Green said, referring to nationwide demonstrations that erupted this year over America’s deeply ingrained systemic racism. “I think this is a real opportunity to address some of those structural issues, and it’s only going to happen if people step up and apply to be part of this process.”
Virginians voted on Nov. 3 to let everyday people join a new government panel formed to end gerrymandering — the
manipulation of political boundaries in order to favor a particular party or demographic group. As a result, the state is forming a new commission made up of eight citizen members and eight lawmakers who will work quickly next year to get new districts in place in time for the 2021 elections, when all 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be up. The governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general will be on the ballot, too, though the redistricting won’t affect those races since they’re statewide offices.
The new commission also will draw new U.S. House districts that will be in place in time for the 2022 elections.
According to a data analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project, about 214 people had applied for one of the eight citizen member seats as of Dec. 18. Among them, 161 identify as men and 53 — only 25% — identify as women. About 81%, or 174 people, are white.
More than half earn more than $100,000 per year and are over the age of 60. Most, 86, identify as Democrats, while 73 didn’t list a political affiliation. There are also 40 Republicans and 9 people who listed another party.
Most of the applicants are concentrated in Northern Virginia among Washington’s revenue-rich suburbs, followed by Richmond and then Hampton Roads.
In stark contrast with the applicant pool, Virginia is about 51% female, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. About 39% of the population identifies as non-white, and only 16% is age 65 or older.
And most Virginians don’t make anywhere near as much money as those who’ve applied so far: The median household income in the state is less than $75,000.
Irene Shin, executive director of nonpartisan outreach group Virginia Civic Engagement Table, said organizers have had a hard time finding qualified applicants to meet the state’s stringent requirements. State code bars anyone from being a citizen member if they — or even a close relative — have run for a partisan office or been employed by a campaign or political party.
But the law and the application conflict on whether that limitation applies only to the past three years or to all time. Shin said that could be making people wrongly believe they’re barred from applying.
“The criteria is pretty limiting,” Shin said. “While I certainly understand the intention for why they did it that way, it also means a lot of folks who would be naturally interested or engaged or passionate about this issue are not eligible.”
Before the redistricting change, politicians alone drew their own state and Congressional districts every decade when new U.S. Census data is available. That meant whoever controlled the legislature during the years that end in 1 — right now, Democrats — decided which district each voter would be placed in for the next 10 years. Which means they can manipulate the district lines to get themselves reelected, and keep out the voters who might prevent that.
On Election Day, voters decided a citizen/ legislator commission is the way to make the process less partisan.
“Obviously, Virginia has a long history of voter suppression and particularly racial discrimination,” Green said. “Even in this last round of redistricting, we had General Assembly districts that were found to be unconstitutionally racially gerrymandered and we had self-interested politicians drawing lines to preserve their seats.”
Between the lawmakers who will sit on the panel and the staff and consultants it will be able to hire, the redistricting process is already brimming with technical and political know-how, Green said. What it lacks is more “regular people” who can share their unique perspective while helping sort through public input.
“I think that there may be a misconception out there that you have to be a lawyer or you have to have a college degree or have to have a background in software or computer science” to join, Green said.
“The truth is that none of that is key. You can be an effective member of this commission by being someone who cares about democracy in the commonwealth and who wants to ensure that some of the problems that have plagued the line-drawing process in the past are addressed this time around.”
To qualify, candidates must submit a 9-page application and three letters of recommendation. The state’s Division of Legislative Services said it has set no specifications for the letters, which means they can come from any person or organization. A formal letterhead isn’t necessary.
Having written one herself, Green suggested that applicants solicit brief statements from people who can include family and friends speaking to their honesty and civic engagement.
The pool of eligible applicants will be narrowed down by legislative leaders, then chosen by a panel of retired judges. Once the group is chosen, the Virginia Redistricting Commission will hold its first public meeting by Feb. 1.
Its members will draw maps once they receive data from the recent U.S. Census, though the Census Bureau has warned the delivery of that information will be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Applications can be sent via email, fax or physical mail. The rules and form are available at redistricting.dls.virginia.gov.