24.2-311 - Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; elections following decennial redistricting.
§ 24.2-311. Effective date of decennial redistricting measures; electionsfollowing decennial redistricting.
A. Legislation enacted to accomplish the decennial redistricting ofcongressional and General Assembly districts required by Article II, Section6 of the Constitution of Virginia shall take effect immediately. Members ofCongress and the General Assembly in office on the effective date of thedecennial redistricting legislation shall complete their terms of office. Theelections for their successors shall be held at the November general electionnext preceding the expiration of the terms of office of the incumbent membersand shall be conducted on the basis of the districts set out in thelegislation to accomplish the decennial redistricting.
B. Ordinances adopted by local governing bodies to accomplish the decennialredistricting of districts for county, city, and town governing bodiesrequired by Article VII, Section 5 of the Constitution of Virginia shall takeeffect immediately. Members of county, city, and town governing bodies inoffice on the effective date of a decennial redistricting measure shallcomplete their terms of office. The elections for their successors shall beheld at the general election next preceding the expiration of the terms ofoffice of the incumbent members and shall be conducted on the basis of thedistricts set out in the measures to accomplish the decennial redistricting.
C. If a vacancy in any such office occurs after the effective date of adecennial redistricting measure and a special election is required by law tofill the vacancy, the vacancy shall be filled from the district in thedecennial redistricting measure which most closely approximates the districtin which the vacancy occurred.
D. If a decennial redistricting measure adopted by a local governing bodyadds one or more districts and also increases the size of the governing body,an election for the additional governing body member or members to representthe additional district or districts for the full or partial term provided bylaw shall be held at the next November general election in any county or inany city or town that regularly elects its governing body in Novemberpursuant to § 24.2-222.1, or at the next May general election in any othercity or town, which occurs at least 120 days after the effective date of theredistricting measure.
E. In the event of a conflict between the provisions of a decennialredistricting measure and the provisions of the charter of any locality, theprovisions of the redistricting measure shall be deemed to override thecharter provisions to the extent required to give effect to the redistrictingplan.
(1990, c. 500, § 24.1-17.2; 1993, c. 641; 2000, c. 1045.)