| ||||||||||||||||
Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to establish a redistricting commission, consisting of eight members of the General Assembly and eight citizens of the Commonwealth, that is responsible for drawing the congressional and state legislative districts that will be subsequently voted on, but not changed by, the General Assembly and enacted without the Governor's involvement and to give the responsibility of drawing districts to the Supreme Court of Virginia if the redistricting commission fails to draw districts or the General Assembly fails to enact districts by certain deadlines? | ||||||||||||||||
Results | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Results by county Yes—80–90% Yes—70–80% Yes—60–70% Yes—50–60% No—50–60% | ||||||||||||||||
Source: Virginia Department of Elections [1] [2] |
The 2020 Virginia Question 1, also known as the Virginia Redistricting Commission Amendment was a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution to establish a political commission in order to draw the districts of the U.S House of Representatives seats in Virginia, as well as the districts of the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate. [3] The amendment was on the November 3 ballot. [4] According to a Christopher Newport University poll over 70% of Virginians support redistricting reform. The amendment shifted the power of redistricting from the Virginia General Assembly to a political commission composed of four members from the Virginia Senate, with two from each party; four members from the Virginia House of Delegates, with two from each party; and eight other citizens of Virginia. [5] The amendment passed with 65.69% of the vote, winning a majority of support in every county and independent city with the exception of Arlington County, Virginia. [1]
The initiative was supported by Republicans and had the support of the Virginia AARP and ACLU. [6]
The initiative was opposed by the state Democratic Party [7] and some elected Democrats [6] on the grounds that it would give inordinate power to the judges tasked with selecting citizens for the commission and that the system would not guarantee the representation of minorities on the commission. [8] [9] In August 2020, Former Virginia Democratic Chairman and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2021 Paul Goldman wrote a letter to the Virginia Department of Elections, arguing the wording of the question was misleading. [10] The Virginia Supreme Court rejected this challenge saying that the Department of Elections must put the question on the ballot with the wording agreed to by the legislature. [11]
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [lower-alpha 1] | Margin of error | Yes (for the amendment) | No (against the amendment) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Roanoke College | October 23–29, 2020 | 802 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 48% | 26% | 3% [lower-alpha 2] | 4% |
Christopher Newport University | October 15–27, 2020 | 908 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 54% | 24% | – | 22% |
Civiqs/Daily Kos | October 11–14, 2020 | 1,231 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 48% | 30% | – | 22% |
Christopher Newport University | September 9–21, 2020 | 796 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 48% | 28% | – | 24% |
The amendment passed with 65.59% of the vote. Only Arlington County voted against the amendment. [1]
Choice | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
Yes | 2,770,704 | 65.69 |
No | 1,447,390 | 34.31 |
Total votes | 4,218,094 | 100.00 |
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members, and an upper house, the Senate of Virginia, with 40 members. Senators serve terms of four years, and Delegates serve two-year terms. Combined, the General Assembly consists of 140 elected representatives from an equal number of constituent districts across the commonwealth. The House of Delegates is presided over by the Speaker of the House, while the Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. The House and Senate each elect a clerk and sergeant-at-arms. The Senate of Virginia's clerk is known as the "Clerk of the Senate".
Virginia is currently divided into 11 congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. The death of Rep. Donald McEachin on November 28, 2022, left the 4th congressional district seat empty. Following the results of a special election to fill his seat on February 21, 2023, Jennifer McClellan made history by becoming Virginia's first black congresswoman.
Electoral reform in Virginia refers to efforts to change the electoral system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia has undergone much electoral change since its settling in 1607, many of which were required by federal legislation. However, it remains a relatively conservative state in this respect compared to California and others which have experimented with various alternative systems.
Electoral reform in Colorado refers to efforts to change the voting laws in the Centennial State.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) can refer to one of several ranked voting methods used in some cities and states in the United States. The term is not strictly defined, but most often refers to instant-runoff voting (IRV) or single transferable vote (STV).
The 2020 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Democratic presidential nominee, former vice president Joe Biden, defeated incumbent Republican president Donald Trump in the presidential election. Despite losing seats in the House of Representatives, Democrats retained control of the House and gained control of the Senate. As a result, the Democrats obtained a government trifecta, the first time since the elections in 2008 that the party gained unified control of Congress and the presidency. With Trump losing his bid for re-election, he became the first defeated incumbent president to have overseen his party lose the presidency and control of both the House and the Senate since Herbert Hoover in 1932. This was the first time since 1980 that either chamber of Congress flipped partisan control in a presidential year, and the first time Democrats did so since 1948.
The Virginia House of Delegates election of 2017 was held on Tuesday, November 7. All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates were contested. The Republican Party held a 66–34 majority in the House of Delegates before the election but lost 15 seats to the Democratic Party, resulting in the Republicans holding a 50–49 advantage. After a recount, the result of the election in the 94th district was called a tie. The candidate to hold the seat was determined by random drawing on January 4, 2018, which resulted in the Republicans holding a 51–49 majority.
Redistricting has been a controversial topic in Virginia due to allegations of gerrymandering. In the 2017 Virginia General Assembly, all of the redistricting reform bills were killed.
North Dakota has held two statewide elections in 2020: a primary election on Tuesday, June 9, and a general election on Tuesday, November 3. In addition, each township has elected officers on Tuesday, March 17, and each school district held their elections on a date of their choosing between April 1 and June 30.
Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 3, 1992.
Michigan Proposal 18-2 was a ballot initiative approved by voters in Michigan as part of the 2018 United States elections. The proposal was created in preparation of the 2020 United States Census, to move control of redistricting from the state legislature to an independent commission. The commission consists of thirteen members selected randomly by the secretary of state: four affiliated with Democrats, four affiliated with Republicans, and five independents. Any Michigan voter can apply to be a commissioner, as long as they have not been, in the last six years, a politician or lobbyist. Proponents argued that Michigan's current districts are gerrymandered, giving an unfair advantage to one political party. Opponents argued that the process would give the secretary of state too much power over redistricting, and that the people on the commission would be unlikely to understand principles of redistricting. The proposal was approved with 61.28% of the vote.
This is a list of elections in the US state of Michigan in 2020. The office of the Michigan Secretary of State oversees the election process, including voting and vote counting.
Missouri state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Aside from its presidential primaries held on March 10, its primary elections were held on August 4, 2020.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania on November 3, 2020. The office of the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth oversees the election process, including voting and vote counting.
Colorado state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The deadline to register and receive a ballot by mail in Colorado was October 26, 2020. Voters may register in person and vote or pick up a ballot at Voter Service Centers October 19 through 7 p.m. November 3, 2020. Colorado exclusively used a vote-by-mail system, although voters may choose to vote in person at Voter Service and Polling Centers (VSPCs).
Florida state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Aside from its presidential primaries held on March 17, its primary elections were held on August 18, 2020.
Virginia state elections in 2020 was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. With the exception of its Democratic Party presidential primary election held on March 3, 2020, its primary elections were held on June 23 of that year.
Alaska state elections in 2020 were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Aside from its party-run Democratic presidential primary held on April 10, its primary elections were held on August 18, 2020.
Elections were held in the U.S. state of New Jersey on November 3, 2020.
The 2010 United States redistricting cycle took place following the completion of the 2010 United States census. In all fifty states, various bodies re-drew state legislative districts. States that are apportioned more than one seat in the United States House of Representatives also drew new districts for that legislative body. The resulting new districts were first implemented for the 2011 and 2012 elections.