Process will shift magisterial district boundaries to ensure equal representation
Henrico will hold public informational meetings Monday, Oct. 25 and Wednesday, Oct. 27 on the reapportionment process that will ensure equal representation across the county’s five magisterial districts.
The meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and be held Oct. 25 at the Eastern Henrico Recreation Center, 1440 N. Laburnum Ave., and Oct. 27 at the Henrico County Government Center, 4301 E. Parham Road.
The public is welcome to participate in person or virtually. To participate virtually, follow the links to WebEx for the Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 meetings. Attendees must wear a face covering due to COVID-19.
Reapportionment is required under the Virginia and United States constitutions and is based on data from the federal decennial census. At the upcoming meetings, county staff will outline the process, present data from the 2020 Census and explain legal considerations for redrawing the magisterial districts, which are used in elections of members of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board. The public will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide input. The process is being guided by the Department of Planning and County Attorney’s Office. Reapportionment has no impact on school attendance boundaries.
Henrico’s population was 334,389 on April 1, 2020, an 8% increase over its total from 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s official count. Reapportionment will adjust the boundaries of the five districts – Brookland, Fairfield, Three Chopt, Tuckahoe and Varina – to provide each with generally the same number of residents. In the process, districts also will need to be contiguous and compact, with clearly defined and observable boundaries, and will need to preserve communities of interest and protect minority voting strength.
Based on the 2020 Census, Henrico’s districts currently deviate from what would be the ideal average population of 66,878, as follows:
- Brookland, 67,463, 0.88% above the average
- Fairfield, 62,524, 6.51% below the average
- Three Chopt, 75,595, 13.03% above the average
- Tuckahoe, 66,418, 0.69% below the average
- Varina, 62,389, 6.71% below the average
The Department of Planning is drafting a map that would amend the district boundaries to satisfy the criteria for reapportionment. A proposed map is expected to be available for public review soon and will be subject to public hearings Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, ahead of submission for approval by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General.
More information on reapportionment, including an analysis of data from the 2020 Census, is available at henrico.us/reapp2021.
