Virginia Residents Can Now Apply For Public Seats On Commission To Redraw Voting Districts
NOV 4, 4:26 PM UPDATED NOV 30, 7:50 AM
Virginia Residents Can Now Apply For Public Seats On Commission To Redraw Voting Districts
Daniella Cheslow
https://twitter.com/DaniellaCheslow
Colleen Grablick
https://twitter.com/colleengrablick
Update, Nov. 30: Applications for public seats on Virginias new redistricting commission officially open Monday.
Established in a voter-approved constitutional amendment on Novembers ballot, the landmark commission will include eight citizen members and eight state lawmakers.
Lawmakers on the commission will review applications for the public seats. That commission includes two Democratic and Republican members selected by the House of Delegates, and two from each party selected by the Senate. (These lawmaking members are set to be announced this week, according to
the Washington Post.)
After review, the citizen nominees will be sent to the panel of retired circuit court judges overseeing the application process for approval. The panel plans to make their final selection for citizen members by Jan. 15, in hopes of the commission beginning its work by Feb. 1.
To apply, individuals must be a Virginia resident who has been a registered voter for the past three years and voted in two of the last three elections. Residents who have run or held political office, worked for a campaign or political official, or who have been a registered lobbyist in the past five years are not permitted to participate, nor are any of their close relatives. The commission says this stipulation aims to decrease the potential for partisanship.
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