House Passes Historic Single-Member District Bill

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For the first time in West Virginia’s 158-year history, members of the Republican-led West Virginia House of Delegates adopted a measure that would establish 100 single-member Delegate districts through the process of decennial redistricting.

House Bill 301 was adopted Oct. 13 by a bipartisan vote of 79 to 20 with one Delegate absent. The measure now goes to the Senate for debate.

“The Joint Committee on Redistricting worked very hard all summer and fall to craft a plan that will give every West Virginian an equal voice in the House of Delegates,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay. “For the first time in decades, West Virginia will have 100 single-member House Districts.

“This plan will result in representation in the House that is both more uniform and more equitable for every citizen of the state.”

Members of the Joint Committee on Redistricting spent the summer months conducting 16 public hearings throughout the state, both in-person and virtually, collecting public feedback about how the 100 single-member districts should be drawn.

A 2018 law requires single-member districts be established this year, a change from the current 67 districts. Lawmakers continue to work on adopting a bill that would create two Congressional districts.

“We are dealing with population loss, but we’ve also had population shifts, and those facts are both reflected in the maps you saw today,” House Redistricting Committee Chairman Gary Howell, R-Mineral, said in describing the bill on the floor. “We’ve taken great care to keep counties and municipalities whole as much as possible where it’s been requested, and you’ll see a few instances when the opposite was asked of us.

“We’ve also tried to be mindful of communities of interest as much as possible, and those are considered to be groups of any size with similar interests, concerns and values.”

The current 100 Delegates come from 67 districts, with 22 members elected from 11 two-member districts; 18 legislators elected from six three-member districts; eight legislators elected from two four-member districts; and five legislators elected from a five-member district.

Contact: Ann Ali at (304) 340-3323