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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>76285</law_id><section_number>24.2-311</section_number><catch_line>Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-856</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="24.2">Elections</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Election Districts, Precincts, and Polling Places</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Effective Dates of Redistricting Measures</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting of congressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, &#xA7; 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 <span class="dictionary">elections</span> for their successors shall be held at the November <span class="dictionary">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 &#xA7; 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 <span class="dictionary">petition</span> signature requirements set out in &#xA7;&#xA7; <a class="law" title="How other groups may submit names of electors; oaths of electors" href="/24.2-242/">24.2-242</a>, <a class="law" title="Petition of qualified voters required; number of signatures required; certain towns excepted" href="/24.2-506/">24.2-506</a>, <a class="law" title="Petition required to accompany declaration; number of signatures required" href="/24.2-521/">24.2-521</a>, and <a class="law" title="Presidential primary" href="/24.2-545/">24.2-545</a> and (ii) any reference on a <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to the usual <span class="dictionary">primary</span> date of the third Tuesday in June shall not be cause to invalidate the <span class="dictionary">petition</span> even though the date of the <span class="dictionary">primary</span> may be altered by <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-273856" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/24.2-311/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> <span class="dictionary">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, &#xA7; 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 <span class="dictionary">elections</span> for their successors shall be held at the <span class="dictionary">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. <a id="paragraph-273857" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/24.2-311/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure and a <span class="dictionary">special election</span> is required by <span class="dictionary">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. <a id="paragraph-273858" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/24.2-311/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">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 <span class="dictionary">law</span> shall be held at the next November <span class="dictionary">general election</span> in any county or in any city or town that regularly elects its governing body in November pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Alternative election of mayor and council at November general election in cities and towns" href="/24.2-222.1/">24.2-222.1</a>, or at the next May <span class="dictionary">general election</span> in any other city or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of the redistricting measure. <a id="paragraph-273859" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/24.2-311/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">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. <a id="paragraph-273860" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/24.2-311/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1990, c. 500, &#xA7; 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045; 2012, c. 791; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 239; 2024, c. 801.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
