By the Numbers, Election Highlights Issue on Districts

Virginia’s recent legislative elections proved that all voters are equal. That said, a closer analysis of the results reveals that some voters are more equal than others. Why? Because Virginia has single-member districts, which are represented by only one lawmaker.

Consider that control of the House of Delegates rested upon just 369 voters collectively in the 63rd, 85th and 91st districts, based on unofficial returns. In each district, Republican candidates unseated Democratic incumbents.

In the 63rd, Kim Taylor defeated Lashrecse Aird — but if only 257 Taylor voters had chosen Aird instead, the incumbent would have won. In the 85th, had 64 of Karen Greenhalgh’s supporters flipped to her Democratic opponent, Alex Askew would have retained his seat. In the 91st, just 48 voters for A.C. Cordoza could have changed the result in favor of Martha Mugler

If all three scenarios occurred, Democrats would have retained control the House, despite Democratic candidates receiving roughly 140,000 fewer votes than Republicans.

Is the result of gerrymandering? No. A 2019 federal court implemented new maps to undo a Republican gerrymander earlier that decade. This distortion is due to singlemember districts, which force Virginia voters to live with the peculiarities of a sliver of voters in a handful of districts.

There is a solution: multimember districts, which are represented by more than one lawmaker — and, as a result, are more representative and gerrymander-resistant. There also is nothing in the Virginia Constitution preventing their use. The Supreme Court of Virginia should embrace this solution as it draws new maps.

Originally printed as a letter to the editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Click here to view.