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“THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’”
Bob Dylan was certainly right when he wrote these lyrics in 1964, and they are just as fitting today. We will see monumental changes in the General Assembly next year as well as changes in upcoming elections. We worked so hard for years to have a fairer way of determining boundaries of political districts. The passage of the Constitutional Amendment in 2020, which takes the task of drawing of these boundaries out of the hands of the political parties, is bringing about profound changes.
The first notable change we see is that many of us will be in a different Senatorial District, House District, and even Congressional District. To see if you are/will be in a different district, go to https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov. Type your address in the box and you will get a map of your area with the district marked and dropdown boxes which will allow you to click to see your current district as well as your new district. It will be important to know your new district number because the candidates seeking their party’s nomination as well as candidates running for office in November will also be using these new district numbers. Of course, your local registrar’s office is glad to give you this information and explain questions about these changes.
As a result of the new district lines, in some areas, two or more incumbents from the same party are now living in the same district. Therefore, these delegates and senators had several choices: retire, move to another district, or run against a colleague in the same party for the nomination. Also, there will be several vacancies in the House because delegates have chosen to run for a seat in the Senate. Regardless of the situation, all 140 seats (40 in the Senate and 100 in the House) will be up for reelection in November. Some legislators tend to forget that these seats belong to the people in the districts, not to the legislators themselves.
Candidates for election in November will be chosen this spring. There will be a statewide primary open to all registered voters and paid for by the state, regardless of party affiliation, on June 20. In most localities where two or more Democrats are vying for the nomination, there will be a primary, open to all registered voters, to choose the nominee for the November election. In a few districts, there may be Republican open primaries also on that day, but most Republican nominees will be chosen by the party in a convention or in a “firehouse primary” which is paid for by the party, held at a different time and place, and requires a pledge to vote for the winner in that contest. Therefore, you must be alert to what is happening in your locality. To elect good leaders in November, it’s important to choose good candidates, so be knowledgeable and participate in the nomination process in your district.
Because of retirements and other changes, the makeup in the General Assembly in 2024 will be quite different from the past. The numbers may be different when you read this, but at least 20 delegates out of 100 will not be back next year. Nine are Democrats and 11 are Republicans. Out of 40 senators, 11 will not be back next year. Six are Democrats and five are Republicans. They are from various parts of the state, but many are at the top of the seniority list. Leadership and institutional understanding will be missed. New members usually benefit from the older, more experienced members’ leadership and guidance, but with so many of them gone, the new members may be more susceptible to the influence of lobbyists and those with more extreme views. The remaining experienced members may have more success in getting their legislation passed because they understand how the system works while new members always have a steep learning curve. There is a danger of more extreme legislators being elected which will lead to more polarization. But all is not lost. We hope that new legislators will have fresh ideas and a robust enthusiasm to accomplish good things for their constituents.
So, what must we do this spring and summer? We must become aware of the specific changes coming to our area and plan how to meet them. Each locality is different. Your unit/district must decide what to emphasize so that we will be prepared for the election on November 7, 2023.
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