GOVERNOR'S VETO

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 158. House Bill 158 authorizes the General Assembly to change legislative district boundaries outside of the decennial redistricting, in order to conform boundaries of legislative districts to the boundaries of local voting precincts.

This bill violates Article II, Section 6 of the Constitution of Virginia, which states: “The General Assembly shall reapportion the Commonwealth into electoral districts in accordance with this section in the year 2011 and every ten years thereafter.” This bill would allow the General Assembly to reapportion at any time of its choosing, regardless of the Constitutional mandate. This would jeopardize a Virginian’s constitutional right to equal apportionment.

Accordingly, I veto this bill.