                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

EFFECTIVE DATE OF DECENNIAL REDISTRICTING MEASURES; ELECTIONS FOLLOWING
DECENNIAL REDISTRICTING (§ 24.2-311)

A. 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 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 &#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 petition signature requirements set out in &#xA7;&#xA7;
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. Ordinances 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 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. 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.

D. 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 &#xA7;
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. 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.

HISTORY: 1990, c. 500, § 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045; 2012, c. 791;
2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 239; 2024, c. 801.