The last time Loudoun’s election districts were changed was in November 2001, several months after the last Census data were released. The process took most of that year.
“We are not going to have that sort of time,” warned Supervisor Lori Waters (R-Broad Run), reminding that, unlike 2011, 2001 was not an election year for board members. The next updated Census data will be available in April 2011, or about three months before when primaries are traditionally held.
To get a head start on redistricting, Waters is proposing supervisors begin examining the process this year. The matter was part of the board’s Jan. 20 business meeting. (Because of the holiday on Monday, the meeting was moved to Wednesday.)
“The more prepared we are in 2010,” Waters added, “the better.”
Currently, the county is composed of eight election districts, each represented by a district-elected supervisor. The chairman of the board is elected in an at-large election.
The number of residents in each district is supposed to be roughly equal, according to Loudoun County General Registrar Judy Brown. But, currently, that’s not the case, as Loudoun has gone through a well-documented growth spurt over the past decade, with some districts growing more than others.
For instance, Brown said, southeast Loudoun’s Dulles District has three times the voters as the Sterling District.
“We are going to see some big changes next year,” Brown predicted. “And not everyone will like the changes.”
Redistricting could include the expansion or reduction of the county’s number of districts, meaning the Board of Supervisors could grow or shrink as well. Waters is also proposing that the board look at staggering its elections so not every district elects a board member at the same time.
Such changes, according to Brown, would need to be finalized by late May of 2011 to get the information to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval, which takes 60 days. She said election primaries would likely be moved from June to September to accommodate the added time crunch. That would need General Assembly approval.
Realizing that supervisors will have only a few weeks in 2011 to hash out a final redistricting plan, Waters, who is undecided on whether she’ll seek a third term next year, said she is starting the process now so plenty of time is available for all affected parties, including the public, to weigh in.
In addition, she said no one should be surprised if the discussion turns to reducing the size of the Board of Supervisors, which at nine members, is one of the largest in Virginia.
“If everything is to be on the table,” she said, “that should include us.”
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