2020 Census and Redistricting Thread: Virginia

[Del Tachi]

Northampton and Accomack (Delmarva) really does belong with Virginia Beach, it's just too awkward not to have them together.

Placing the Delmarva Peninsula with the Tidewater makes no sense given where the bridge is

This seems like something silly to insist on, as the Delmarva-Virginia Beach connection is a pretty recent configuration (didn't exist before 2003) and the current VA-02 relies on water contiguity already to pick up Poquoson and York.  

[Del Tachi]

VA-10 has to get population from somewhere.

Yup.  Push it further in and turn it into a Fairfax + Inner Loudoun district.

That Tidewater-to-Shenandoah district is an abomination, and you've managed to split Shenandoah three ways.  Current VA-01 alignment should be largely maintained, which means adding Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania back in.  



This is an ideal fair map.  It makes more sense to cut Loudoun along partisan lines to create a Shenandoah-interest district and buff-up 3 NOVA seats (1 of which is a minority-interest district) rather than pizza slicing NOVA to create 4 Dem seats and (necessarily) hacking Shenandoah to death.

[Del Tachi]

VA-10 has to get population from somewhere.

Yup.  Push it further in and turn it into a Fairfax + Inner Loudoun district.

That Tidewater-to-Shenandoah district is an abomination, and you've managed to split Shenandoah three ways.  Current VA-01 alignment should be largely maintained, which means adding back Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania back in. 



This is an ideal fair map.  It makes more sense to cut Loudoun along partisan lines to create a Shenandoah-interest district and buff-up 3 NOVA seats (1 of which is a minority-interest district) rather than pizza slicing NOVA to create 4 Dem seats and (necessarily) hacking Shenandoah to death.

What the f**k! Are you seriously putting Burke in with the Tidewater and using water continuity in the Hampton Roads? And you're connecting the Southside with the Hampton Roads? Your 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th districts are all justifiable (although I would seriously change some lines around Staunton and Roanoke) but the rest are all wrong.

I drew that downstate alignment in a matter of minutes, but here's something that's probably more to your liking:



I don't really like the VA-05 this map forces, but the downstate lines are better.  I'll stand by my general NOVA alignment, which is replicated from my first map.  The only remaining "issue" is water continuity in VA-02, but I think it's justifiable from a "minimal change"-based criterion.