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2020 SESSION

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HB 1645 Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission; established.

Introduced by: Mark H. Levine | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Redistricting; Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission. Establishes the Virginia Citizens Redistricting Commission (the Commission), a 10-member commission responsible for proposing legislative and congressional districts following a decennial census, to be submitted to and approved by the General Assembly. A selection committee consisting of five retired judges of a circuit court in Virginia, selected by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate from a list compiled by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, is tasked with adopting a process by which registered Virginia voters may apply to serve on the Commission and selecting from the applicants a list of 22 candidates. The bill requires five of the candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, five candidates to be voters who affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and 12 candidates to be voters who do not affiliate with any political party. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in the House of Delegates, and the majority and minority leaders in the Senate then strike names from the list until there is the final list of 10 Commission members, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, three of whom affiliate with the political party receiving the next highest number of votes for governor at the immediately preceding gubernatorial election, and four of whom do not affiliate with any political party. To be submitted to the General Assembly, a proposed plan is required to receive an affirmative vote of seven of the 10 Commission members, including at least one vote from each of the political parties represented. Initial plans submitted to the General Assembly are not subject to amendment, but if submission of subsequent plans is necessary, such plans may be amended in the same manner as other bills.


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