Virginia’s Voting System is Not Competitive

In his letter, “November Election showed voting still counts,” rebutting my earlier letter, Correspondent of the Day Brian Glass rightly points out that “voting for the House of Delegates is by district, not statewide.” However, Glass’s letter misses the point: Gerrymandering ensures that, while all votes are equal, some votes are more equal than others. Let’s examine data derived from the Virginia State Board of Elections.

In 2017, the average victorious Democrat won 77.87 percent of the vote in his or her district. The average victorious Republican won 67.59 percent of the vote in that district. In 23 districts, Democrats won more than 90 percent of the vote. In contrast, Republicans won more than 90 percent of the vote in just 10 districts. These numbers illustrate a statewide reality: Democratic voters are more packed than Republican voters. In other words, the GOP’s more diffuse vote translates into a non-representative electoral advantage. This advantage explains why the GOP maintains control (pending recounts) in the House of Delegates despite earning 228,160 (or 9.28 percent) fewer votes than the Democrats.

Meanwhile, only 20 districts were decided by +/- 5 percent. This was in a wave election. That’s not a competitive system. It’s a system in which politicians are picking their voters. And that’s why it must change. Again, the General Assembly has a unique opportunity to transform Virginia into a model of American democracy. Let’s hope and pressure them to seize it.

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