{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/24.2-311.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/24.2-311.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/24.2-311.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/24.2-311.html"}],"law_id":76285,"edition_id":1,"section_id":76285,"structure_id":13390,"section_number":"24.2-311","catch_line":"Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting","history":"1990, c. 500, \u00a7 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045; 2012, c. 791; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 239; 2024, c. 801.","full_text":"A\n\nLegislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of congressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of Congress and the General Assembly in office on the effective date of the decennial redistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the November general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the legislation to accomplish the decennial redistricting. However, (i) if the decennial redistricting of congressional districts has not been enacted and approved for implementation pursuant to § 5 of the United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 before January 1 of the year of the election for statewide office, the previously enacted congressional districts shall remain in effect for the purpose of meeting the petition signature requirements set out in §§ 24.2-242, 24.2-506, 24.2-521, and 24.2-545 and (ii) any reference on a petition to the usual primary date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to invalidate the petition even though the date of the primary may be altered by law.B\n\nOrdinances adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennial redistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodies required by Article VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office on the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the measures to accomplish the decennial redistricting.C\n\nIf a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure and a special election is required by law to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in the decennial redistricting measure which most closely approximates the district in which the vacancy occurred.D\n\nIf a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing body adds one or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body, an election for the additional governing body member or members to represent the additional district or districts for the full or partial term provided by law shall be held at the next November general election in any county or in any city or town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to § 24.2-222.1, or at the next May general election in any other city or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure.E\n\nIn the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennial redistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, the provisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override the charter provisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistricting plan.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":273856,"text":"Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of congressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of Congress and the General Assembly in office on the effective date of the decennial redistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the November general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the legislation to accomplish the decennial redistricting. However, (i) if the decennial redistricting of congressional districts has not been enacted and approved for implementation pursuant to § 5 of the United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 before January 1 of the year of the election for statewide office, the previously enacted congressional districts shall remain in effect for the purpose of meeting the petition signature requirements set out in §§ 24.2-242, 24.2-506, 24.2-521, and 24.2-545 and (ii) any reference on a petition to the usual primary date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to invalidate the petition even though the date of the primary may be altered by law.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":273857,"text":"Ordinances adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennial redistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodies required by Article VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office on the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure shall complete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the general election next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the measures to accomplish the decennial redistricting.","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"C"},"2":{"id":273858,"text":"If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure and a special election is required by law to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in the decennial redistricting measure which most closely approximates the district in which the vacancy occurred.","type":"section","prefixes":["C"],"prefix":"C","entire_prefix":"C","prefix_anchor":"C","level":1,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"D"},"3":{"id":273859,"text":"If a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing body adds one or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body, an election for the additional governing body member or members to represent the additional district or districts for the full or partial term provided by law shall be held at the next November general election in any county or in any city or town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to § 24.2-222.1, or at the next May general election in any other city or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure.","type":"section","prefixes":["D"],"prefix":"D","entire_prefix":"D","prefix_anchor":"D","level":1,"prior_prefix":"C","next_prefix":"E"},"4":{"id":273860,"text":"In the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennial redistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, the provisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override the charter provisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistricting plan.","type":"section","prefixes":["E"],"prefix":"E","entire_prefix":"E","prefix_anchor":"E","level":1,"prior_prefix":"D"}},"ancestry":[{"id":13390,"edition_id":1,"name":"Effective Dates of Redistricting Measures","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13389,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","permalink":{"id":187785,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13390,"identifier":"4","token":"24.2\/3\/4","url":"\/24.2\/3\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13389,"edition_id":1,"name":"Election Districts, Precincts, and Polling Places","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12937,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:47","permalink":{"id":187667,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13389,"identifier":"3","token":"24.2\/3","url":"\/24.2\/3\/","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":76285,"structure_id":13390,"section_number":"24.2-311","catch_line":"Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting","url":"\/24.2-311\/","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-311","metadata":false},{"id":55880,"structure_id":13390,"section_number":"24.2-312","catch_line":"Effective date of other redistricting measures; elections following annexation","url":"\/24.2-312\/","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-312","metadata":false},{"id":54362,"structure_id":13390,"section_number":"24.2-313","catch_line":"Rescheduling of certain local elections following the decennial redistricting of districts for the governing body","url":"\/24.2-313\/","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-313","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":55880,"structure_id":13390,"section_number":"24.2-312","catch_line":"Effective date of other redistricting measures; elections following annexation","url":"\/24.2-312\/","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-312","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/24.2-311\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1990. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 500 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1990 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 4 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1993, chapter 641; in 2000, chapter 1045<\/a>; in 2012, chapter 791<\/a>; in 2024, chapter 801<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":64085,"section_number":"15.2-856","catch_line":"Changes in boundaries of districts","order_by":null,"url":"\/15.2-856\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":70449,"section_number":"24.2-222.1","catch_line":"Alternative election of mayor and council at November general election in cities and towns","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-222.1\/"},{"id":55695,"section_number":"24.2-242","catch_line":"How other groups may submit names of electors; oaths of electors","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-242\/"},{"id":77384,"section_number":"24.2-506","catch_line":"Petition of qualified voters required; number of signatures required; certain towns excepted","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-506\/"},{"id":61711,"section_number":"24.2-521","catch_line":"Petition required to accompany declaration; number of signatures required","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-521\/"},{"id":74352,"section_number":"24.2-545","catch_line":"Presidential primary","order_by":null,"url":"\/24.2-545\/"}],"permalink":{"id":187787,"object_type":"law","relational_id":76285,"identifier":"24.2-311","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-311","url":"\/24.2-311\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/24.2-311\/","token":"24.2\/3\/4\/24.2-311","dublin_core":{"Title":"Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 24.2-311","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of congressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, § 6 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of Congress and the General Assembly in office on the effective date of the decennial redistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. The elections<\/span> for their successors shall be held at the November general election<\/span> next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the legislation to accomplish the decennial redistricting. However, (i) if the decennial redistricting of congressional districts has not been enacted and approved for implementation pursuant to § 5 of the United States Voting Rights Act of 1965 before January 1 of the year of the election for statewide office, the previously enacted congressional districts shall remain in effect for the purpose of meeting the petition<\/span> signature requirements set out in §§ 24.2-242<\/a>, 24.2-506<\/a>, 24.2-521<\/a>, and 24.2-545<\/a> and (ii) any reference on a petition<\/span> to the usual primary<\/span> date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to invalidate the petition<\/span> even though the date of the primary<\/span> may be altered by law<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> Ordinances<\/span> adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennial redistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodies required by Article VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office on the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure shall complete their terms of office. The elections<\/span> for their successors shall be held at the general election<\/span> next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the measures to accomplish the decennial redistricting. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

C.<\/span> If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure and a special election<\/span> is required by law<\/span> to fill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in the decennial redistricting measure which most closely approximates the district in which the vacancy occurred. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

D.<\/span> If a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing body adds one or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body, an election for the additional governing body member or members to represent the additional district or districts for the full or partial term provided by law<\/span> shall be held at the next November general election<\/span> in any county or in any city or town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to § 24.2-222.1<\/a>, or at the next May general election<\/span> in any other city or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

E.<\/span> In the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennial redistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, the provisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override the charter provisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistricting plan. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nEFFECTIVE DATE OF DECENNIAL REDISTRICTING MEASURES; ELECTIONS FOLLOWING\nDECENNIAL REDISTRICTING (\u00a7 24.2-311)\n\nA. Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of\ncongressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, § 6 of\nthe Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members of Congress\nand the General Assembly in office on the effective date of the decennial\nredistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. The elections\nfor their successors shall be held at the November general election next\npreceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent members and\nshall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the legislation to\naccomplish the decennial redistricting. However, (i) if the decennial\nredistricting of congressional districts has not been enacted and approved for\nimplementation pursuant to § 5 of the United States Voting Rights Act of\n1965 before January 1 of the year of the election for statewide office, the\npreviously enacted congressional districts shall remain in effect for the\npurpose of meeting the petition signature requirements set out in §§\n24.2-242, 24.2-506, 24.2-521, and 24.2-545 and (ii) any reference on a petition\nto the usual primary date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to\ninvalidate the petition even though the date of the primary may be altered by\nlaw.\n\nB. Ordinances adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennial\nredistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodies required\nby Article VII, § 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect\nimmediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies in office on the\neffective date of a decennial redistricting measure shall complete their terms\nof office. The elections for their successors shall be held at the general\nelection next preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent\nmembers and shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in the\nmeasures to accomplish the decennial redistricting.\n\nC. If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a\ndecennial redistricting measure and a special election is required by law to\nfill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in the decennial\nredistricting measure which most closely approximates the district in which the\nvacancy occurred.\n\nD. If a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing body adds\none or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body, an\nelection for the additional governing body member or members to represent the\nadditional district or districts for the full or partial term provided by law\nshall be held at the next November general election in any county or in any city\nor town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to §\n24.2-222.1, or at the next May general election in any other city or town, which\noccurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure.\n\nE. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennial\nredistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, the\nprovisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override the charter\nprovisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistricting plan.\n\nHISTORY: 1990, c. 500, \u00a7 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045; 2012, c. 791;\n2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 239; 2024, c. 801.","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}}