Help end gerrymandering in Virginia
Voting districts belong to Virginians, not to parties or politicians.
Gerrymandering - the deliberate manipulation of legislative district lines to benefit a party or individual - is toxic.
Both parties do it, and we want to stop it. It's not about right vs. left - it's about right vs. wrong.
The Constitutional Amendment
In 2019 and 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed a bipartisan constitutional amendment that would end partisan and racial gerrymandering in the Commonwealth. If we want fair maps when they are redrawn for the next decade, we have to pass the amendment when it appears on the ballot in November.
The proposed amendment accomplishes three big things:
Includes citizens in the process
Makes the process transparent
ENDS PARTISAN GERRYMANDERING
The single most important thing you can do right now is educate your friends, family and neighbors about the importance of redistricting reform. Like any well-functioning democracy, our grassroots movement relies on people-power. It’s up to Virginia voters to decide whether or not fair districts will be drawn next year.
Why Now?
Redistricting is done nationwide after each decennial census to accommodate for population shifts. This should be a simple matter of adjusting districts so that each one has about the same number of people. Unfortunately, politicians often use this opportunity to pad their own re-election strategies.
As indicated by the name of our organization, our mission has a critical deadline - 2021. The process of changing the state constitution takes two years in Virginia - so we are in the critical last step to get this done before we have to spend another decade under gerrymandered maps.
now is the time
Gerrymandering in Virginia
Virginia is one of the most gerrymandered states in the country and we're in the unusual position of being gerrymandered across party lines. If you'd like to see what an all-Republican gerrymander looks like, see our neighbors to the south, North Carolina. If you'd like to see what an all-Democratic gerrymander looks like, see our neighbors to the north, Maryland. Virginia was gerrymandered by both parties, acting together, to protect incumbents.
Throughout the Commonwealth, counties and cities are carved up to create districts designed to re-elect incumbents of both parties. These districts should be drawn to reflect our communities instead of a politician's re-election strategy.
