Originally published to the Free Lance Star September 11 2021

A big thank-you to area residents who spoke up at the first round of hearings before the Virginia Redistricting Commission in August. They clearly made an impression because I’ve heard the commissioners several times mention the need to keep cities such as Fredericksburg and Lynchburg whole.

As part of their “2021 Redistricting Guidelines and Criteria,” the commission also voted to “preserve political subdivisions [cities and counties] to the extent possible by avoiding unnecessary divisions.”

An overwhelming number of comments from the public also influenced the commissioners’ recent vote to start maps with a blank slate without consideration of current district maps. A huge win considering several other decisions by the commission were disappointingly partisan: to have two legal counsels and two map drawers.

There is new hope that citizens have a seat at this table and redistricting is not being done behind closed doors.

Your story is important, and there are many opportunities for you to participate. To submit your comments, visit the commission web site, virginiaredistricting.org, or email them to varedist@dls.virginia.gov.

The first maps are starting to be drawn, and the commission needs to continually be made aware that we care about the outcome. They need to hear from us to ensure they have the information they need to draw fair and representative maps.

To keep up with what is happening at the commission’s meetings, read the League of Women Voters of Virginia Redistricting Blog and the OneVirginia2021 website.

Fran Larkines