Virginia’s General Assembly will convene on Wednesday January 9 for a 45 day session. We’ll be paying close attention to what happens. Here are some of the Constitutional Amendments that have been introduced.
One Constitutional Amendment would allow governors to serve two consecutive terms (HJ 584) and another Constitutional Amendment would have the governor and lieutenant governor nominees from each major party run together as one ticket (HJ 585). The two candidates would appear on the ballot as one vote similar to the president and vice president at the federal level. The first amendment would offer significant advantage to the incumbent party in re-election. Every 4 years Virginia’s governor’s race is an open seat where new faces have to present their case to the public. Changing the current rule of one term only would place a sitting governor in the race which changes the nature of how the governor will handle his office and opens up the questionable use of official v. campaign communications/spending.
Allowing the people to choose governor and LG separately makes the LG nomination an actual race worth caring about as pairing the governor and LG on one ticket would only leave voters casting their vote for the name on top, reducing the LG to be even less significant than the office already is. Both amendments are offered by Delegate Mark Keam.
A Constitutional Amendment on redistricting reform would create the Virginia Redistricting Commission (HJ 582). This amendment would take redistricting responsibilities out of the General Assembly and place them in a newly formed partisan body which would not face accountability. All redistricting is gerrymandering and trying to create a new body in the hopes of taking partisanship out of the process is impossible. Take a look at the make up of the proposed commission (from the summary of the amendment)-
Appointments to the 13-member Commission are to be made as follows: two each by the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the minority leader in each house, and the state chairman of each of the two political parties receiving the most votes in the prior gubernatorial election. The 12 partisan members then select a thirteenth independent member by a majority vote or, if they cannot agree on a selection, certify the two names receiving the most votes to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which will name the thirteenth member.
That is a partisan body that favors the party in power and the members won’t have to stand before the people. This terrible amendment has been introduced by Delegate Steve Heretick.
Another proposal for redistricting reform has been introduced by Delegate Mark Cole (HJ 615). It’s almost as bad as Heretick’s. This one says, “The independent redistricting commission established by the General Assembly will consist of eight members, with equal representation given to the political parties.” Fewer members but same difference. You can’t take partisanship out of the process.
There is also a Constitutional Amendment to allow felons to be able to vote without filing for a reconstitution of voting rights (SJ 261). Losing the right to vote through conviction of a felony and then having to apply to have your vote restored are reasonable penalties for criminal activity. There is no need to change this. Senator Mamie Locke has introduced this.
