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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Virginia Beach political committee forms in support of current election system
VIRGINIA BEACH — A new political group is building a coalition of support for district-based representation and hoping to sway voters in the city's November election referendum. Yes for Virginia Beach, a referendum committee steered by state Sen. Aaron Rouse, officially filed paperwork Aug. 8 and is beginning to solicit donations. The group wants to persuade residents to vote 'yes' in favor of the current district-only election system, referred to as the 10-1 system. 'The 10-1, it's transformed our local government for the best,' said Rouse, a former council member who is married to District 10 representative Jennifer Rouse. 'For the first time, every neighborhood has a dedicated representative and ensures that everybody has a voice.' The group faces Every Vote Counts, another referendum committee that launched earlier this year and supports adding at-large representation on the City Council and School Board. Every Vote Counts, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and has the backing of high profile businesses and elected leaders, is trying to persuade residents to vote 'no' in November. The referendum will pose the question: 'Should the method of city council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach City Charter be changed from a modified 7-3-1 system to a 10-1 system?' The 10-1 system refers to the 10 city districts that each elect a council member and the mayor. The 7-3-1 system refers to seven district-based seats, three at-large seats elected by voters across the city, and the mayor. With the Sept. 19 start of early voting quickly approaching, the opposing groups are promoting their websites, hosting town halls and carrying out advertising campaigns in hopes of influencing the referendum outcome, and possibly the future of the elections in Virginia Beach. Meanwhile, a federal judge has reopened a district voting system lawsuit in Virginia Beach, saying the city is intentionally avoiding compliance with federal law in part by holding the election referendum. Yes for Virginia Beach wants a City Council with 10 district-based seats and the mayor elected at-large. The group recently launched a website, and is accepting donations. The 10-1 system was used in the past two council and school board elections. Every Vote Counts has been raking in large donations this summer and launched a campaign last month. That group is backed by multiple Virginia Beach business leaders and elected officials, including Mayor Bobby Dyer, who appears in a video on the group's website, Every Vote Counts has raised nearly $400,000 since forming June 9, according to finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections. Large donations between $10,000 and $25,000 continue to roll in. One of the group's key arguments for more at-large representation is that it will increase accountability to voters. Yes for Virginia Beach challenges that stance. 'It's an illusion that person is accountable to you,' said former Councilman John Moss, a Republican who supports a district-only based system and will join Rouse, a Democrat, at town hall later this month. 'It's an empowerment of the special interest that want it.' He believes the district system allows more people with less resources to run for office, which fosters competition and shakes up the status quo. 'When you have more competition, you get more diversity,' Moss said. 'Districts make sure that your government structure represents not only geographic diversity, it represents economic diversity. 7-3-1 makes sure the money interest continues to dominate.' Rouse, Moss and others in their camp believe real estate developers are backing the 7-3-1 system to buy influence on council. They'd rather see candidates knocking on doors, meeting voters face-to-face and winning 'without big money dominating the conversation,' the committee's website says. With early voting a month away, Yes for Virginia Beach will need to act fast to get its message across, but Rouse isn't worried. 'Do I think we can raise $300,000? No, I don't,' he said. 'That would be great if we could. But obviously the other side has the money, but we have the people on our side.' Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach city council requests residents' input on voting system change into charter
Virginia Beach city staff has been preparing a resolution for residents' feedback on adopting the 10-1 voting system into the city's charter, under direction of the Virginia Beach City Council on April 1. The resolution will be ahead of a city council vote where on May 6, councilmembers will vote on if 'the method of City Council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach City Charter be changed from a 'modified 7-3-1' system to a '10-1' system?' According to the city of Virginia Beach, a yes vote is in support of the 10-1 system, which was used in the 2022 and 2024 City Council elections. A no vote is in support of the 7-3-1 system, which was used in 2021 and is outlined in the current city charter. VB city council put the issue to vote in November 2024, where the idea to put the 10-1 system in the charter was voted down due to its failure to at least a three-fourths majority. Previous coverage: VB council votes down putting 10-1 voting system into charter During November's vote, councilwoman Jennifer Rouse said she supported the 10-1 system because people in her district (District 10) had never seen anyone campaign in that area before the system's introduction. 'People were able to garner votes just from certain pockets of the city, which then meant many neighborhoods and communities were underrepresented because candidates didn't go and speak to those residents to learn about their issues and then to represent them,' said Rouse. Mayor Bobby Dyer, who stood in support of the 7-3-1 system since being elected in 2004, told 10 on your side in November the 10-1 system had 'a bunch of ambiguity out there' and that it 'would benefit the public to hear both sides of the equation.' Previous coverage: VB council expected to vote on 10-1 voting system The city of Virginia Beach provided ways to give your feedback ahead of the May 6 vote: Provide thoughts, comments and concerns via SpeakUp VB until 11:59 p.m. on May 3, 2025, using any of the following options: Email Leave a voicemail by calling 1-855-925-2801. Enter Project Code 11338 Text referendum to 73224 Attend the April 15, 2025, public hearing at 6 p.m. in City Council Chamber, 2401 Courthouse Drive. Speak virtually during the April 15, 2025, public hearing. Sign up with the City Clerk's Office by calling 757-385-4303. Email City Council at . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Should Virginia Beach have at-large council members? Election system may be put to a vote
VIRGINIA BEACH — Voters in Virginia Beach may have the opportunity to weigh in on the current City Council election system come November. The City Council will vote next month on whether to include a charter change referendum question on this year's ballot. The question would ask voters whether they want to keep the current single-member district system or if they support a voting system with some at-large seats on council. Public comment on the potential referendum question will be heard April 15 and the council will vote on it May 6. The 10-1 voting system is the way voters currently elect City Council members. The mayor is elected at large by residents from across the city, but each of the 10 council members are elected only by voters who live in their voting district. The referendum could open the door to a modified 7-3-1 system, in which three council members would serve in at-large seats and all residents could vote for them. Under that system, the remaining seven members would be elected by residents only in their voting district. The proposed referendum question would be: 'Should the method of city council elections set forth in the Virginia Beach City Charter be changed from a modified 7-3-1 system to a 10-1 system?' It includes the following explanation: A 'yes' vote means that you support the 10-1 system, which was used in the 2022 and 2024 city council elections. In the 10-1 system, the city is divided into 10 districts and the voters of each district elect a single council member with the mayor elected at-large (city-wide). A 'no' vote means you support the 7-3-1 system described in the current city charter as modified by a general law change that occurred in 2021. In the modified 7-3-1 system, the city is divided into 7 districts and the voters of each district elect a single council member, with three other council members and the mayor elected at-large (city-wide). The question, proposed by the city attorney's office on Tuesday, aims to address a conflict between the charter and the city's 2023 redistricting ordinance, in which the city adopted its 10-1 voting system. Several council members said they won't support it. 'What are we asking for, to go back to the 7-3-1 system?' said Councilwoman Jennifer Rouse. 'We have seen progress with the single-member districts. A return to at-large is a return to what we came from.' Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office ends inmate grass mowing program over cost Norfolk City Council approves affordable housing complex near Park Place Newport News' top prosecutor has a challenger. She vows community outreach to curb crime. Hampton Roads cities keeping close watch on federal cuts as they roll out budgets Chesapeake proposes a $1.65 billion operating budget, with options for tax increase Mayor Bobby Dyer wants to hear from voters. 'I think we owe it to the public,' he said. 'It's not only the question on the ballot, it's the education about what is going on. I feel the obligation to go to the public to say, 'What do you think?'' Council member Stacy Cummings agreed. 'This is one of the most sacred rights we have is the right to vote, and the citizens have not been asked how they want to elect their council members,' Cummings said. 'Let's hear what the people have to say.' Previously, every City Council seat was at large and voters across the city could vote for every council member. The 10-1 election system was implemented in 2022 after a federal judge deemed the previous at-large system illegal because it diluted minority voting power. That year, voters elected the most diverse council in city history. The plaintiffs in that lawsuit have threatened immediate federal court legal challenge if City Council takes any steps toward using the modified charter system for future elections, according to Deputy City Attorney Christopher Boynton. A public communication plan for the referendum question could cost roughly $500,000 and would include public forums, TV advertisements and direct mail, Tiffany Russell, the city's communications director, said at the meeting. The city previously spent more than $700,000 on public education campaigns on the election system and redistricting, Russell said. 'It's a lot of money devoted to this issue that it looks like will not necessarily end after this referendum,' Rouse said. Boynton said Virginia Beach has until Aug. 15 to submit a referendum question to the Circuit Court for review and approval in order for it be placed on the November ballot. If the referendum passes — if the majority of voters want the city charter changed to reflect the 10-1 system — it will be delivered to Virginia Beach's General Assembly delegation for introduction in the 2026 session. If approved by the General Assembly, it would then require the governor's signature. Council members David 'Hutch' Hutcheson and Joash Schulman both said they won't vote for a referendum. 'I believe that revisiting this issue in this fashion sends a signal that we're looking backwards,' Schulman said. Previous efforts to enshrine the 10-1 system into law have been held up due to legal challenges. The governor vetoed a charter amendment request last year citing a pending lawsuit. The same lawsuit challenging the validity of the city's district voting system is currently moving forward in court. The plaintiffs recently filed a motion for summary judgement, Boynton said, but a hearing has not been scheduled. Boynton said Tuesday a referendum is one possibility to potentially break the stalemate in the General Assembly. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125,
