During the House floor session on Monday, Feb. 9, members of the House of Delegates – at least on the Republican side – got our first look at the Democrats’ proposed new Congressional maps. These maps were attached to a budget provision because that is the only possible way for them to enact their new gerrymandered districts fast enough for a potential April referendum. The new district boundaries proposed by Virginia Democrats constitutes one of the most aggressive gerrymanders in the country.
By way of background, Virginia Democrats passed a law in 2020 designed to put “guardrails” on Virginia’s redistricting efforts. That legislation went further than the federal Voting Rights Act and outlawed a number of common gerrymandering tricks. Legislative districts must be contiguous, compact, and preserve communities of interest. The key reform, however, was this: a map of districts shall not, when considered on a statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party. The result of this legislation was a set of districts that closely reflected Virginia’s political divide – a Congressional map that was close in partisanship. Now, Democrats seek to completely obliterate those maps by anchoring several seats in Northern Virginia that spread as far away as central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Under the proposed new map, it is possible for someone who lives in Fairfax to also represent someone who lives in Shenandoah AND Goochland. This type of district is not compact nor preserving communities of common interest, and it certainly favors a certain political party – the Democrats. It will fall to the Virginia Supreme Court to stop this blatant power grab, or to you – the voter – to reject these new districts.
In other news, I am pleased to report that my HB 100 and HB 108 passed through the House of Delegates this past week. HB 100 requires that a uniform small-asset affidavit be prepared by the Virginia Supreme Court’s Office of the Executive Secretary to ensure consistency for the public. In everyday terms: if a loved one passes away with a small estate (under the legal limit), rather than going through a formal probate process, a designated successor can use a standardized affidavit form to request payment or delivery of that asset. Moreover, I am very happy to see strong support of HB 108 in the House of Delegates on a unanimous, bipartisan basis. As you may recall, HB 108 will establish an Honor Guard Grant Program in the Commonwealth to ensure all Virginia veterans receive the full military funeral they deserve, with an adequately equipped and state-supported Honor Guard. This idea came to me from a constituent who shared a common story among those in our community who serve on Honor Guards: the funding they receive through private donations – and mostly from their own pockets – is not enough to sustain this solemn tradition. Without new funding, it is very likely that an increasing number of deceased veterans will not be buried with the honors that they sacrificed for. This is an important cause to me, and I will now focus my efforts to pass HB 108 in the Senate.
As the Delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
