Virginia State Senate
Below you'll find my alternative to the Virginia State Senate district map. My version displays a better way of keeping together communities of interest, while respecting political and geographical boundaries. Drawing the actual map using DRA was not practical, therefore only images of my version are presented. The district numbering keeps to the previous numbering as closely as possible.
Eastern 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14
The 1st district combines most of Newport News with the southern parts of James City, and all of Williamsburg. It's a D+9 district with a significant Black voting bloc at 29% VAP. The 2nd district consists of the city of Portsmouth and the surrounding parts in the city of Chesapeake. This district is drawn to elect a Black senator being plurality Black at 47% of total population and with a 45% Black VAP. The 3rd district, based in the Tidewater region, is made up of Essex, Gloucester, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Poqouson, Richmond, Westmoreland, York, and part of James City north of I-64. It's a solid Republican district at R+13. The 5th district is another drawn to elect a Black senator and is kept inside the city of Norfolk. It's a D+26 district that's 47% Black and has a 44% Black VAP. The 6th district is also drawn to elect a Black senator. It combines the southern part of Newport News with Accomack, Hampton, and Northampton. This D+16 district is 48% Black and has a 47% Black VAP. The 7th district is a somewhat competitive district in Virginia Beach, having a D+4 PVI and a significant Black voting bloc at 24% VAP. It voted for Obama in 2008 and in 2012 by about 10%. The 8th district is a Republican leaning district that takes in the rest of Norfolk and norther parts of Virginia Beach. Its PVI is R+4 and voted for McCain by 3% and for Romney by 4%. Finally, the 14th is made of what remains of the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, and is solidly Republican; its PVI being R+11.
Piedmont 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28
The 4th district combines part of Louisa County, parts of Hanover County, and most of Spotsylvania County with Caroline, King and Queen, King George, and King William counties. The 9th district, based in the Richmond metro area, is drawn to elect a Black senator. The district takes in most of Henrico County, all of Charles City, and a small part of Richmond. While the district total and voting age populations are plurality White, the Black voting bloc at 41% VAP and Democratic lean of the district, D+16 PVI, are enough to allow the district to elect a Black senator. The 10th district takes in all of Richmond, except for the small piece in the 9th, and is therefore, plurality Black at 49% of total population, and has a 46% plurality Black VAP. Its PVI is D+30. The 11th, an R+12 district, takes in much of Chesterfield County, the western part of Powhatan County , and all of Colonial Heights, Amelia, Cumberland, and Dinwiddie counties. The suburban 12th district combines part of northern Chesterfield County with part of northern Henrico County; its PVI at R+7. The 15th is a competitive district, having an R+3 PVI due to the large Black voting bloc at 36% VAP. It voted for Obama in 2008 by about 1% and by less than 1% in 2012. The district is comprised of all of Charlotte, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, and Prince Edward counties, as well as the western part of Pittsylvania county and the city of Danville. The 16th district is drawn to elect a Black senator by combining the cities of Hopewell and Petersburg with Prince George County and part of Chesterfield County. Like the 9th, this district is plurality White, but still has a high enough Black VAP, at 42%, and Democratic lean, the PVI being D+11, that the district can still elect a Black senator. The 17th district is based in the Charlottesville metro area making it a solidly Democratic district; its PVI being D+9. The district takes in the city of Charlottesville and Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, and Nelson counties. The 18th district has a Democratic lean having voted for Obama by about 10% in 2008 and in 2012, but has a PVI of D+2. It's a mostly White district with a large Black voting bloc, being 43% of the VAP. The district contains the cities of Emporia, Franklin, and Suffolk, as well as the counties of Brunswick, Greensville, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Sussex, and Surry. The 20th is a solidly Republican district, with an R+17 PVI, combining parts of Franklin and Pittsylvania counties, with Campbell and Henry counties, as well as the city of Martinsville. The 22nd is based in the outer reaches of the Richmond metro area, consisting of most of Hanover and Powhatan counties, as well as Goochland and New Kent counties. The district also takes in most of James City. Its PVI is R+17. The 23rd is based in the Lynchburg area, taking in the city, as well as Amherst, Appomattox, and Bedford counties, and the city of Bedford. It is also an R+17 district. The 27th combines the northwestern half of Louisa County with Culpepper, Fauquier, Greene, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock counties. Its PVI is R+12. Finally, the 28th consists of parts of Prince William and Spotsylvania counties, as well as Stafford County and the city of Fredericksburg. It's a competitive district with an R+2 PVI having barely voted for Obama in 2008 and barely for Romney in 2012.
Appalachia 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 38, 40
The 19th, an R+10 district, combines part of Western Franklin County with Floyd, Montgomery, Patrick, and Pulaski counties, as well as the city of Radford. The 21st district has the cities of Roanoke and Salem, as well as much of Roanoke County. This competitive district has an R+4 PVI. The 24th district takes in part of Augusta County, as well as Page and Rocingham counties, and the cities of Harrisonburg and Waynseboro. This gives the district an R+16 PVI. The 25th takes in the rest of Augusta County, part of Roanoke County, the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Lexington, Staunton, and all of Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Highland, and Rockbridge counties. The district's PVI is R+17. The 26th district combines Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren counties, with the city of Winchester; its PVI is R+16. The 38th, is made of Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, Tazell, and Wythe counties, along with part of Washington County and the city of Galax. Its PVI is R+27. The 40th takes the rest of Washington County, the cities of Bristol and Norton, as well as the counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, and Wise counties, and its PVI is also R+27.
Northern 13, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39
The 13th is an R+3 district that, for the most part, takes in the outlying areas of Loudoun and Prince William counties. The 29th is a mostly non-White district in Prince William County, with a D+19 PVI. The VAP breaks down as follows: 41% White, 27% Black, 22% Hispanic, 8% Asian, and 3% other. The 30th is a D+23 district based mostly in the city of Alexandria, taking in a small portion of Arlington and a part of Fairfax County. The 31st is a D+12 district in the northern parts of Fairfax County. The 32nd is contained within Arlington and has a D+25 PVI. The 33rd, in Loudoun County, reaches from Sterling to Leesburg and has a D+7 PVI. The 34th combines the city of Fairfax with parts of central Fairfax County and it has a D+11 PVI. The 35th is a mostly non-White district in central Fairfax County, also taking in Falls Church. Its VAP is 45% White and its PVI is D+20. The 36th, another plurality White district, in southern Fairfax County, has a White VAP of 47% and a PVI of D+17. The 37th, yes another plurality White district, has a mostly White VAP at 51% and a D+8 PVI. This district combines the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park with the western corner of Fairfax County and nearby communities south of I-66 in Prince William County. Finally, the 39th is in south central Fairfax County and its PVI is also D+8.
My version of the Virginia State Senate district map improves cohesion of communities of interest while also respecting geographical and political boundaries. This is why the districts appear compact, but more importantly why the overall demographic distributions are appropriate. There are more opportunities for non-White communities to elect senators of their respective choosing. Democrats would also be favored to win majorities, certainly this year. Even though some districts would appear more difficult for Democrats to win, the overall picture is more reflective of the state as a whole. Thanks for reading!
The maps were created using Dave’s Redistricting App: gardow.com/…
The charts and data were assembled using spreadsheets via Stephen Wolf’s guide: www.dailykos.com/…
The Statistical Atlas was used to match the district numbering: statisticalatlas.com/…
Google Images aided in determining the regional breakdown
Links to the Kentucky Maps
Alternative Districts: Kentucky State Senate
Alternative Districts: Kentucky State House of Representatives