{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/24.2-130.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/24.2-130.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/24.2-130.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/24.2-130.html"}],"law_id":62568,"edition_id":1,"section_id":62568,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-130","catch_line":"At-large method of election; limitations; violations; remedies","history":"2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 528, 533.","full_text":"A\n\nAn at-large method of election, including one that combines at-large elections with district- or ward-based elections, shall not be imposed or applied by the governing body of any locality in a manner that impairs the ability of members of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125, to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election, as a result of the dilution or the abridgement of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class.B\n\nA violation of subsection A is established if it is shown that racially polarized voting occurs in local elections and that this, in combination with the method of election, dilutes the voting strength of members of a protected class. For purposes of this subsection, “racially polarized voting” refers to the extent to which the candidate preferences of members of the protected class and other voters in the jurisdiction have differed in recent elections for the office at issue and other offices in which the voters have been presented with a choice between candidates who are members of the protected class and candidates who are not members of the protected class. A finding of racially polarized voting or a violation of subsection A shall not be precluded by the fact that members of a protected class are not geographically compact or concentrated in a locality. Proof of an intent on the part of voters or elected officials to discriminate against members of a protected class shall not be required to prove a violation of subsection A.C\n\nAny voter who is a member of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125, and who resides in a locality where a violation of this section is alleged shall be entitled to initiate a cause of action in the circuit court of the county or city in which the locality is located. In such action, the court may, in its discretion, allow a private plaintiff a reasonable attorney fee as part of the costs, if such plaintiff is the prevailing party.D\n\nUpon a finding of a violation of this section, the court shall implement appropriate remedies that are tailored to remedy the violation.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":228156,"text":"An at-large method of election, including one that combines at-large elections with district- or ward-based elections, shall not be imposed or applied by the governing body of any locality in a manner that impairs the ability of members of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125, to elect candidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election, as a result of the dilution or the abridgement of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":228157,"text":"A violation of subsection A is established if it is shown that racially polarized voting occurs in local elections and that this, in combination with the method of election, dilutes the voting strength of members of a protected class. For purposes of this subsection, “racially polarized voting” refers to the extent to which the candidate preferences of members of the protected class and other voters in the jurisdiction have differed in recent elections for the office at issue and other offices in which the voters have been presented with a choice between candidates who are members of the protected class and candidates who are not members of the protected class. A finding of racially polarized voting or a violation of subsection A shall not be precluded by the fact that members of a protected class are not geographically compact or concentrated in a locality. Proof of an intent on the part of voters or elected officials to discriminate against members of a protected class shall not be required to prove a violation of subsection A.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":228158,"text":"Any voter who is a member of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125, and who resides in a locality where a violation of this section is alleged shall be entitled to initiate a cause of action in the circuit court of the county or city in which the locality is located. In such action, the court may, in its discretion, allow a private plaintiff a reasonable attorney fee as part of the costs, if such plaintiff is the prevailing party.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":228159,"text":"Upon a finding of a violation of this section, the court shall implement appropriate remedies that are tailored to remedy the violation.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C"}},"ancestry":[{"id":12964,"edition_id":1,"name":"Rights of Voters","identifier":"1.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12937,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":187325,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12964,"identifier":"1.1","token":"24.2\/1.1","url":"\/24.2\/1.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12937,"edition_id":1,"name":"Elections","identifier":"24.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:03","permalink":{"id":187149,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12937,"identifier":"24.2","token":"24.2","url":"\/24.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":59634,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-125","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/24.2-125\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-125","metadata":false},{"id":59797,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-126","catch_line":"Vote denial or dilution","url":"\/24.2-126\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-126","metadata":false},{"id":54056,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-127","catch_line":"Impairment of voting rights of registered voters","url":"\/24.2-127\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-127","metadata":false},{"id":83566,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-128","catch_line":"Minority language accessibility","url":"\/24.2-128\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-128","metadata":false},{"id":73528,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-129","catch_line":"Covered practices; actions required prior to enactment or administration","url":"\/24.2-129\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-129","metadata":false},{"id":62568,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-130","catch_line":"At-large method of election; limitations; violations; remedies","url":"\/24.2-130\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-130","metadata":false},{"id":56804,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-131","catch_line":"Voter Education and Outreach Fund","url":"\/24.2-131\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-131","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":73528,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-129","catch_line":"Covered practices; actions required prior to enactment or administration","url":"\/24.2-129\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-129","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":56804,"structure_id":12964,"section_number":"24.2-131","catch_line":"Voter Education and Outreach Fund","url":"\/24.2-131\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-131","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/24.2-130\/","history_text":false,"references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":59634,"section_number":"24.2-125","catch_line":"Definitions","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-125\/"}],"permalink":{"id":187347,"object_type":"law","relational_id":62568,"identifier":"24.2-130","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-130","url":"\/24.2-130\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/24.2-130\/","token":"24.2\/1.1\/24.2-130","dublin_core":{"Title":"At-large method of election; limitations; violations; remedies","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 24.2-130","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> An at-large method of election<\/span>, including one that combines at-large elections<\/span> with district- or ward-based elections<\/span>, shall not be imposed or applied by the governing body of any locality in a manner that impairs the ability of members of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125<\/a>, to elect candidates<\/span> of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election<\/span>, as a result of the dilution or the abridgement of the rights of voters who are members of a protected class. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> A violation of subsection A is established if it is shown that racially polarized voting occurs in local elections<\/span> and that this, in combination with the method of election<\/span>, dilutes the voting strength of members of a protected class. For purposes of this subsection, “racially polarized voting” refers to the extent to which the candidate<\/span> preferences of members of the protected class and other voters in the jurisdiction<\/span> have differed in recent elections<\/span> for the office at issue<\/span> and other offices in which the voters have been presented with a choice between candidates<\/span> who are members of the protected class and candidates<\/span> who are not members of the protected class. A finding<\/span> of racially polarized voting or a violation of subsection A shall not be precluded by the fact<\/span> that members of a protected class are not geographically compact or concentrated in a locality. Proof of an intent<\/span> on the part of voters or elected officials to discriminate against members of a protected class shall not be required to prove a violation of subsection A. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> Any voter who is a member of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125<\/a>, and who resides in a locality where a violation of this section is alleged shall be entitled to initiate a cause of action<\/span> in the circuit<\/span> court<\/span> of the county or city in which the locality is located. In such action, the court<\/span> may, in its discretion, allow a private plaintiff<\/span> a reasonable attorney fee as part of the costs, if such plaintiff<\/span> is the prevailing party<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> Upon a finding<\/span> of a violation of this section, the court<\/span> shall implement appropriate remedies that are tailored to remedy the violation. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nAT-LARGE METHOD OF ELECTION; LIMITATIONS; VIOLATIONS; REMEDIES (\u00a7 24.2-130)\n\nA. An at-large method of election, including one that combines at-large\nelections with district- or ward-based elections, shall not be imposed or\napplied by the governing body of any locality in a manner that impairs the\nability of members of a protected class, as defined in § 24.2-125, to elect\ncandidates of its choice or its ability to influence the outcome of an election,\nas a result of the dilution or the abridgement of the rights of voters who are\nmembers of a protected class.\n\nB. A violation of subsection A is established if it is shown that racially\npolarized voting occurs in local elections and that this, in combination with\nthe method of election, dilutes the voting strength of members of a protected\nclass. For purposes of this subsection, “racially polarized voting”\nrefers to the extent to which the candidate preferences of members of the\nprotected class and other voters in the jurisdiction have differed in recent\nelections for the office at issue and other offices in which the voters have\nbeen presented with a choice between candidates who are members of the protected\nclass and candidates who are not members of the protected class. A finding of\nracially polarized voting or a violation of subsection A shall not be precluded\nby the fact that members of a protected class are not geographically compact or\nconcentrated in a locality. Proof of an intent on the part of voters or elected\nofficials to discriminate against members of a protected class shall not be\nrequired to prove a violation of subsection A.\n\nC. Any voter who is a member of a protected class, as defined in §\n24.2-125, and who resides in a locality where a violation of this section is\nalleged shall be entitled to initiate a cause of action in the circuit court of\nthe county or city in which the locality is located. In such action, the court\nmay, in its discretion, allow a private plaintiff a reasonable attorney fee as\npart of the costs, if such plaintiff is the prevailing party.\n\nD. Upon a finding of a violation of this section, the court shall implement\nappropriate remedies that are tailored to remedy the violation.\n\nHISTORY: 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 528, 533.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}