Virginia: redistricting commission proposal passes committee
AP reports: A bipartisan commission would draw congressional and legislative district boundaries based on population, not politics, under a constitutional amendment that cleared its first hurdle Tuesday.
Though the measure passed the first obstacle, there's a long way to go before the partisan way district lines are drawn could change. Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, has introduced the same proposal since 2002 without success, and on Tuesday, it advanced with the support of just one Republican. ...
The amendment would change Virginia's constitution to put redistricting in the hands of a 13-member commission made up of two appointments each by Senate and House leaders, the minority leaders of each house and the state Democratic and Republican party chairmen. The 12 partisan members then select the 13th member, and if they can't agree, the Supreme Court make the choice.
The "radical" part of the bill, according to Deeds, is that the only demographic consideration that can be made in drawing district lines is population. -- Amendment would let bipartisan commission draw district lines