Realigning Districts
Realigning districts to ensure equal representation in both the West Virginia Legislature and United States Congress is a requirement after each census is conducted by the federal government. Since the latest census occurred in 2010, West Virginia must reapportion its House of Delegates, State Senate and three Congressional Districts.
Our constitution mandates one person, one vote. This means that these districts must be drawn to encompass about the same amount of people in each district. In August the Legislature is expected to go into special session. House of Delegate districts will have to be drawn so that each Delegate represents approximately 18, 500 people.
It has been a pleasure and honor to serve the residents of the 16th Delegate District over the past six years. During the past 20 years, the 15th and 16th Districts have mostly encompassed all of Cabell County plus the Westmoreland section of Huntington in Wayne County. These two House District have been comprised of six representatives in the House of Delegates. Together, we serve as a block that geographically represents the Cabell/Huntington region of our state.
Some people in the state believe that the Legislature would better represent its constituents if all 100 districts are carved into single-member districts. Others believe that geographic blocks, like the two districts we have in our area, provide more strength for their regions of the state and want to keep districts aligned as they currently are drawn.
I am interested in learning your opinions on the upcoming redistricting issue. Is there more strength in numbers with six representatives from the Cabell/Huntington region in the House of Delegates? To learn your thoughts, I will be conducting town meetings as well as seeking your input with an online survey.
So please take the time to answer a few questions with this online survey and let me know what you think!
- Doug Reynolds
