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Del. Marcus Simon (D-Fairfax) submitted his letter of resignation to the Redistricting Commission Wednesday saying that he can do more for the process from outside of the commission. The Supreme Court of Virginia is now tasked with creating the legislative districts for the House of Representatives and General Assembly.
“By resigning now, I will be able to participate fully in the current phase of the redistricting process as I continue to pursue fair maps for the House of Delegates, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, which has always been my goal,” Simon wrote in his letter.
The Supreme Court of Virginia is currently examining a list of six potential special master candidates, three nominated by Republicans and three nominated by Democrats, to draw the legislative maps.
It is not clear how long the process will take. Senate Democrats have asked the court to disqualify all three of the Republican nominations due to conflicts of interest.
Senate Republican spokesperson Jeff Ryer said Democratic nominees are “all extreme-left academics with well-demonstrated records of considering one and only one criteria when it comes to drawing district lines: What will benefit Democrats most.”
Virginia’s 2022 congressional elections will take place under new lines and there is a lawsuit in the courts that could potentially force House of Delegates candidates to run this year as well under new lines. If the judge agrees with the plaintiff, House candidates would be forced to run three straight years, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
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