GOP DELEGATES PROPOSE OWN HOUSE REDISTRICTING PLAN
Lawmakers left the special session last month without any resolution. They could consider this latest map proposal — and possibly the Democratic version — at a House Privileges and Elections meeting on Sept. 27.
RICHMOND — House Republicans released their own proposed map Tuesday afternoon in the ongoing debate over redrawing some of Virginia’s legislative districts.
The GOP plan is the latest move in a tense political debate over a court-ordered redrawing of 11 House of Delegates districts. Lawmakers have until Oct. 30 to produce a map, or else a federal court will take over.
Some lawmakers will return to Richmond next week to resume debating the issue as part of a special session.
The court specifically asks lawmakers to redraw 11 districts — six of them in Hampton Roads — found in a June ruling to be unconstitutionally packed with black voters.
In a news release, Speaker of the House Kirk Cox said House Republicans will “continue to engage in a good-faith effort” with Democrats.
“We have laid out reasonable criteria and are willing to work on this map or a different one, but this map demonstrates clearly what is possible,” Cox said. “If Democrats are serious, they’ll come to the table and engage in good-faith discussions. If they don’t, then it will be clear that they are only interested in a self-serving map
to bolster their political standing, whether it’s obtained through the legislative or judicial process.”
The Republican-backed map would change lines for 30 districts. It comes about three weeks after Democrats presented their own version, which affected 29 districts.
House Republicans called this proposal “politically neutral,” saying in the release that it was drawn without using any racial data and solves the constitutional problems identified by the court.
Five competitive Republican districts would become .38 percent to .9 percent more Republican, depending on 2012 or 2017 election data, House Republicans said. The map would make four competitive Democratic seats between 1.3 percent to 1.4 percent more Democratic.
The proposal, according to Republicans, does not combine the residential addresses of multiple lawmakers into the same district (which would require one of them to move). Democrats had circled at least two Republicans into the same district, which House Minority Leader David Toscano said was purely a mistake.
But in a statement, House Democrats said the Republican proposal lumps Del. Marcia “Cia” Price, D-Newport News, who represents the 95th District, into the 93rd District.
Slaybaugh said they used the address Price filed with the House clerk’s office. Price said that is her official mailing address, but not where she lives and is registered to vote.
“They could have asked,” Price added. Trevor Southerland, executive director of the House Democratic Caucus, said this map does not solve the constitutional issues raised by the court, but he did not elaborate. The caucus was still analyzing the map early Tuesday evening.
“We cannot support partisan gerrymandering as a solution to racial gerrymandering,” Southerland said in a statement. “As per usual, it would appear this is just more empty rhetoric from the House Republicans as they continue to attempt to delay implementation of new maps that remedy their racial gerrymander.”
A quick glance at Price’s 95th — one of the districts ruled as racially gerrymandered — shows that Republicans drew seven of her Democratic-leaning precincts into Democrat Del. Mike Mullin’s 93rd District and Republican Del. David Yancey’s 94th District.
Yancey’s seat would still likely be a competitive Republican seat in the 2019 election under this map. It would make Mullin’s seat more safely Democratic.
Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, drew Tuesday’s proposal with help from consultant John Morgan, who Republicans have used before, Slaybaugh said.
The House Democratic Caucus declined to say who helped draw their map, identifying the person only as a D.C.-based consultant.
Under the Democrats’ proposed map, analyses found that five vulnerable GOP held districts would likely flip in 2019 — which Republicans pointed to as proof of an unfair map. But Toscano said that is the natural effect of unpacking black voters from districts the court ordered redrawn.
Lawmakers left the special session last month without any resolution. They could consider this latest map proposal — and possibly the Democratic version — at a House Privileges and Elections meeting on Sept. 27.
In the meantime, the court has required parties in the original lawsuit to come up with names of independent map drawers in case lawmakers don’t meet their Oct. 30 deadline. That list of names is due by Thursday.