Virginia Law

Article 4. Effective Dates of Redistricting Measures.

A. Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of congressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of Congress and the General Assembly in office on the effective date of the decennial redistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the November general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the legislation to accomplish the decennial redistricting. However, (i) if the decennial redistricting of congressional districts has not been enacted and approved for implementation pursuant to § 5 of the United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 before January 1 of the year of the election for statewide office, the previously enacted congressional districts shall remain in effect for the purpose of meeting the petition signature requirements set out in §§ 24.2-242, 24.2-506, 24.2-521, and 24.2-545 and (ii) any reference on a petition to the usual primary date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to invalidate the petition even though the date of the primary may be altered by law.

B. Ordinances adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennial redistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodies required by Article VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office on the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the measures to accomplish the decennial redistricting.

C. If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure and a special election is required by law to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in the decennial redistricting measure which most closely approximates the district in which the vacancy occurred.

D. If a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing body adds one or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body, an election for the additional governing body member or members to represent the additional district or districts for the full or partial term provided by law shall be held at the next November general election in any county or in any city or town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to § 24.2-222.1, or at the next May general election in any other city or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure.

E. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennial redistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, the provisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override the charter provisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistricting plan.

1990, c. 500, § 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045; 2012, c. 791; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 239; 2024, c. 801.

A. Any redistricting, other than the decennial redistricting, of any county, city, or town shall be effective at midnight December 31 of the year in which the redistricting occurs.

B. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office when any such redistricting measure is adopted shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the measures to accomplish the redistricting.

C. When a county has been redistricted as a result of annexation and the redistricting occurs in the year of a regularly scheduled November general election for members of the county's board of supervisors, the November general election shall be conducted from the newly established districts so long as the redistricting measure has been adopted prior to March 15 of the year of the election.

D. When a city or town has been redistricted as a result of annexation and the redistricting occurs prior to a regularly scheduled May general election for members of the city's or town's governing body, the May general election shall be conducted from the newly established districts so long as the redistricting measure has been adopted prior to the November 15 immediately preceding the election.

1990, c. 500, § 24.1-17.3; 1993, c. 641; 1995, c. 249.

A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, elections for members of the governing body or school board of any county, city, or town that would be held on a regularly scheduled date for a general election, but are delayed because the decennial redistricting plan of such county, city, or town is not precleared by the Attorney General of the United States pursuant to § 5 of the federal Voting Rights Act at least thirty days prior to the general election, shall be held as provided in this section, unless otherwise provided by a court of competent jurisdiction. In the event the Attorney General grants preclearance at least thirty days prior to the general election, the election shall be held as scheduled and shall be conducted from the newly established districts. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any county, city, or town election scheduled to be held entirely on an at-large basis.

B. In each such county, city, or town, such election shall be held on the first Tuesday (i) that is more than sixty days after the Attorney General of the United States issues a letter stating that he interposes no objection to a decennial redistricting plan approved and submitted by the county, city, or town; (ii) that is not the scheduled date of a primary election; and (iii) that is not within the sixty days before or the thirty-five days after a primary or general election.

C. Independent candidates for such rescheduled elections shall qualify in the manner provided by §§ 24.2-505 and 24.2-506, and party nominees shall be nominated and certified at least thirty days before the new election date.

D. All candidates shall file the statements required by §§ 24.2-501 and 24.2-502 at least thirty days before the new election date.

E. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections C and D, any candidate who qualified to have his name printed on the ballot for the original election date, pursuant to § 24.2-504, shall be automatically qualified to have his name printed on the ballot for the delayed election date and shall not have to refile the required documents, provided that the boundaries of the district in which he is seeking office are the same as when he was originally qualified. In any district in which the boundaries have been changed, candidates shall requalify for the ballot; however, at the request of any candidate who filed as an independent, his original petitions shall be reviewed by the registrar, previously verified signatures of voters who reside in the new district shall be counted toward the number needed to qualify to run in the new district, and the candidate may supplement such petitions when he refiles under § 24.2-505.

F. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the term of members of any governing body or school board elected under the provisions of this act shall commence on the first day of the second month following the election and shall terminate on the day on which the term would have expired had the general election been held on its regularly scheduled day.

G. The term of members of any governing body affected by this act that would otherwise expire prior to the commencement of the term of their successors elected pursuant to this section shall be extended until the date that the term of members elected pursuant to this section commences, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary.

2002, c. 189.