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The U.S. Constitution requires that every 10 years
legislative districts have their lines readjusted so that their populations can
be approximately equal. This is the process known as redistricting.
It is an attempt to honor the concept that we are all created equal.
If legislative districts were not created equal, then those
districts with fewer people would have disproportionately more
impact on the legislative process. However, the U.S. Constitution does
not give guidance as to how those legislative lines should be drawn. And
the Virginia Constitution provides ambiguous direction stating the districts
must be “contiguous and compact”.
All of this is to say that the four counties of the Northern
Neck are not legally required to be in the same Congressional, State Senate or
House of Delegates district -- despite the fact that it makes common sense to
do so (in fact, in 1991 Democrats drew Richmond County out of the state senate
district that contained the remaining three Northern Neck counties).
Plainly put, breaking these counties up is just plain terrible policy.
For all these reasons, I am asking any and all civic and
governmental organizations to adopt the following resolution:
Whereas, the four counties of Lancaster, Northumberland,
Westmoreland and Richmond are a distinct community of interest known as the
Northern Neck;
Whereas, this community has been defined as the land
between the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers since the mid-17th
century; and,
Whereas, it has been well documented that these areas
have historically been separate and distinct from Virginia because of their
unique geography, bounded by the north by the Potomac River, the east by the
Chesapeake Bay and the south by the Rappahannock River; and,
Whereas, those counties have been in the same House of
Delegates legislative district since 1962 and have always been represented in a
single Congressional District; and,
Whereas, the Northern Neck defines its needs not by
political or county lines but by cultural values that extend through the
communities and families of the region; and,
Whereas, this region self identifies as the Northern Neck
with over 87 businesses and civic organizations listed in the local telephone
book as being Northern Neck; and,
Whereas, a “Google search” brings up over 360,000 unique
references to this geographic region; and,
Whereas, the four counties of the Northern Neck share a
Planning District Commission, a regional jail, an electric cooperative, a
vocational school, a Soil and Water Conservation District, a tourism council
and numerous church and civic associations, and,
Whereas, this region has been represented by members of
various political parties and keeping these counties contiguous does not
benefit one particular political party over another; and,
Now, therefore be it resolved that it is the desire of
[this county, civic group] that the four counties of the Northern Neck be kept
in their entirety in the same congressional district and legislative districts.
Once adopted, this resolution can be forwarded to Delegate
Mark Cole, Chair of the Redistricting Subcommittee of the House of Delegates Committee
on Privileges and Elections at PO Box 6046, Fredericksburg, Virginia, 22403, and
to Senator Janet Howell, Chair of the Redistricting Subcommittee of the Senate of
Virginia Committee on Privileges and Elections at PO Box 2608, Reston,
Virginia, 20195. Individuals may also
right the chairs to express their desire to have the Northern Neck remain
intact in one legislative district.
Only by knowing the will of Northern Neckers, can the House
and the Senate draw lines which are to us just plain common sense. |
