Redistricting

 

Current Goochland electoral districts

Proposed maps drawn by special masters appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court to divvy up Virginia's population into new election districts using data from the 2020 census are out for public review, finally. The task reverted to the Virginia Supreme Court after a commission created for the purpose could not reach agreement. Public hearings about the maps will be held on December 15 and 17 before a final review by the Court on December 19. Go to https://www.vacourts.gov/news/items/2021_1208_scv_press_release_redistricting.pdf  to learn how to comment.

This will change the boundaries of federal congressional districts, as well as those for the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate. Redistricting will also change the boundaries of county election districts.

The results of the 2010 census indicated that growth in Goochland was even throughout the county. Only a handful of census tracts shifted districts in 2011. While the 2020 census was taken as of April 1, 2020, before many of the homes in the large subdivisions were occupied, there was still a significant increase in homes in the eastern end of the county since 2010.

Goochland County Attorney Tara McGee leads the county redistricting team, which also includes Interim County Administrator Manny Alvarez; Deputy County Administrator for Community Development JO Ann Hunter; General Registrar Ryan Mulligan; GIS Analysts Jon Worley; and Divya George, but no elected officials.

McGee reported on December 7 that the Census Bureau has accepted the changes in the Goochland-Louisa border made in 2019 as permanent. The county population as of April 1, 2020, is 24,727, an increase of 3,010 people or 12.17 percent since 2010.

Census data showing growth

 McGee explained the parameters for redistricting to the supervisors at their November 3 meeting and updated her comments on December 7. A website https://www.goochlandva.us/1191/Redistricting-2021 dedicated to the process was recently created.

On November 3, the supervisors approved redistricting criteria and authorized the team to begin work on inputting data to redistricting software. Goochland cannot finalize its district lines until state maps have been approved.

Although protecting incumbents is legally permissible, the supervisors decided not to do this.  Precincts must have between 100 and 5,000 registered voters, not residents. Precincts cannot be split. For instance, District 3 is currently represented by two delegates, only one delegate may appear on a particular precinct ballot. That is why there are two precincts located at the Goochland Sports Complex.

Electoral districts must be substantially equal in population. Based on the 2020 census, this means that each electoral district in Goochland should contain about 4,830 people. To achieve this goal, district boundaries must be moved. Legal requirements for voting districts include that they must be contiguous and compact; race must not be a predominate factor; boundaries must be clearly observable; that the fewest number of voters are moved from one district to another; and that they retain the same shape as before redistricting. Another goal is to include voters from a subdivision in the same district when possible.

McGee said that subdivision was used rather than neighborhood, because subdivisions have legal definitions. The use of clearly observable boundaries, for instance roads rather than parcel numbers, adds transparency to the process.

To further complicate the process, "guests" of the Department of Corrections are no longer considered to be residents of their place of incarceration, so District 3 lost some people in the 2020 recount. McGee suggested that the simplest way to adjust boundaries would be to move them east for district 1, 2, and 3. Revising the boundary between districts 4 and 5, which runs east to west, could be a bit trickier. The map with proposed revisions to districts will be posted on the redistricting website prior to the January meetings.

Postcards announcing public meetings about redistricting have been mailed to every county residence. Sessions are scheduled for all parts of Goochland and include ZOOM options for those unable to attend in person.

Coming to your mailbox. Read and heed.

McGee said that every effort is being made to ensure that the redistricting process is transparent. Transcripts of all meetings will be posted on the website as will all pertinent comments. The only "editing" of comments will be for foul language or off topic remarks. The goal is to ensure that everyone has access to all redistricting information and decisions.

Public comment will be open for at least 30 days. After that, staff may make revisions to the map. Then the final map will be posted on the website for 15 days before the supervisors hold a public hearing before adoption of the changes, hopefully in April 2022.

Please pay attention and participate in this process.

For statewide information about redistricting, go to https://www.virginiaredistricting.org/.