eNews Feb. 14, 2019 – Action Alert

Thursday, February 14, 2019 - 10:24am

We urge you to take action regarding two bills (outlined below) being considered tomorrow by the House Committee on Privileges and Elections.

Help keep localities out of the redistricting debate in SJ306

SJ306 offers solutions to state-level redistricting issues without imposing the same requirements upon localities. VML supports this approach. However, we are concerned that the House Committee on Privileges and Elections (where the bill currently resides) may conform it to the House version of the bill which would:

Introduce partisanship into nonpartisan local elections;
Conflict with the local and federal standards currently in place;
Present timing challenges for localities with May elections; and
Saddle localities with an unfunded mandate.

Action

We urge you to call your Delegates and members of House Committee on Privileges and Elections (see below) to keep SJ306 as-is.

One-Sheet

Please review our one-sheet summary of the bill which includes:

Contact information for members of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections.
Key points to be used when discussing the bill with members of the committee.
An update outlining where things stand in the General Assembly’s ongoing redistricting debate.

VML Contact: Jessica Ackerman, jackerman@vml.org

Support SB1102 to give localities with misassigned voters the option to reach agreements

SB1102 gives localities the option of working together to decide how to correct boundary issues on a parcel-by-parcel basis, rather than relying solely on Census boundaries. As we learned in 2018, Census boundaries occasionally do not align with jurisdictional boundaries.

VML supports SB1102 and urges the House Committee on Privileges and Elections (where the bill currently resides) to support the bill.

Action

VML requests that members contact their local delegates and members of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections (see below) to support SB1102 before its Subcommittee #2 meets tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. to consider the bill.

One-Sheet

Please review our one-sheet summary of the bill which includes:

Contact information for members of the House Committee on Privileges and Elections.
Key points to be used when discussing the bill with members of the committee.
Further details about the bill.

VML Contact: Jessica Ackerman, jackerman@vml.org