End Gerrymandering

End Gerrymandering

League members with signs supporting fair redistricting

Sign-up to help! Democracy depends on voters having a voice in the electoral process. Gerrymandering suppresses that voice. Together, let's End Gerrymandering!

Together we will have Fair Maps in Virginia | Our Partner in Action | Read LWV's Position on Redistricting Reform

Together We Will Have Fair Maps in Virginia

Up the task! Virginians are standing up for fair maps!
Virginia is for Voters

Today, in Virginia, representatives are picking their voters. They are literally drawing the electoral maps and choosing who their voters are. But shouldn't voters pick their representatives? OneVirginia2021 and League of Women Voters believe so!

Our partner in action, OneVirginia2021, has a great list of way to learn about gerrymandering and redistricting reform as well as ways to get involved:

Need to SEE why we're taking action? Check out the maps!

Virginia House of DelegatesVirginia State Senate Districts 2018-2019

Learn more about One Virginia 2021!

Watch the documentary NOW - click this link or watch below!

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Read LWV's Position on Redistricting on Redistricting Reform

Here's the position on Redistricting Reform:

The League of Women Voters believes responsibility for redistricting preferably should be vested in an independent special commission, with membership that reflects the diversity of the unit of government, including citizens at large, representatives of public interest groups, and members of minority groups.

Every redistricting process should include:

  • Specific timelines for the steps leading to a redistricting plan
  • Full disclosure throughout the process and public hearings on the plan proposed for adoption
  • Redistricting at all levels of government must be accomplished in an open, unbiased manner with citizen participation and access at all levels and steps of the process, and 
  • Should be subject to open meeting laws.
  • A provision that any redistricting plan should be adopted by the redistricting authority with more than a simple majority vote.
  • Remedial provisions established in the event that the redistricting authority fails to enact a plan. Specific provisions should be made for court review of redistricting measures and for courts to require the redistricting authority to act on a specific schedule.
  • Time limits should be set for initiating court action for review.
  • The courts should promptly review and rule on any challenge to a redistricting plan and require adjustments if the standards have not been met.

The standards on which a redistricting plan is based, and on which any plan should be judged, must:

  • Be enforceable in court
  • Require:
    • Substantially equal population
    • Geographic contiguity 
    • Effective representation of racial and linguistic minorities
  • Provide for (to the extent possible):
    • Promotion of partisan fairness
    • Preservation and protection of "communities of interest"
    • Respect for boundaries of municipalities and counties
    • Compactness and competitiveness may also be considered as criteria so long as they do not conflict with the above criteria
  • Explicitly reject:
    • Protection of incumbents, through such devices as considering an incumbent's address
    • Preferential treatment for a political party, through such devices as considering party affiliation, voting history and candidate residence.

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League of Women Voters

League of Women Voters members and advocates work tirelessly to bring electoral reform! Check out our work at the national level!

To get a deeper understanding about what we believe in and advocate for, check out our Impact on Issues booklet; it contains years and hundreds of thousands of volunteers hours researching and debating issues all across America. The end result: thoughtful, strong and balanced positions and principles that represent the people's will.