Richmond, VA - On Thursday morning, New Virginia Majority (NVM) introduced an alternative redistricting map to maximize minority voting power. Earlier this year, a federal panel made up of district and appellate judges ruled that the House violated the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by prioritizing race and packing black communities into districts to dilute their voting power. New Virginia Majority believes the only way to remedy the blatant racial discrimination that took place is to ensure a new map maximizes the voting power of minority communities. NVM’s map disregards partisan political data used to rig maps in favor of incumbents and protect those currently in power.
"This racial discrimination by our lawmakers, designed to preserve their own power at the expense of their constituents, is unacceptable," says Jamaa Bickley King, board chair of NVM. "In fact, I am one of those voters whose voice at the ballot box was diminished. While various plans have been put forward, we at New Virginia Majority believe that the only way to remedy the blatant racial discrimination that took place is to ensure a new map maximizes the voting power of minority communities."
NVM retained TargetSmart, a national data firm, to construct this new map that prioritizes Black voting power.
The map was drawn according to the principles and criteria that should drive any redistricting process: Respect for communities of color and communities of interest, contiguous districts, and respect, where possible, for geographic and political boundaries.
As this map is a response to the court’s invalidation of 11 districts, it does not draw new lines for the entire state but focuses on remedying the discrimination in Richmond, Southside, and Hampton Roads.
View maps at bit.ly/NVMmapsubmission
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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization, and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic, and environmentally sustainable.