Chaz Nuttycombe Analyzes Newly Released VA Redistricting Commission Maps: “There are very few highlights about these maps. It’s like they started off mostly reasonable in Northern Virginia and went, ‘Hey, let’s make the rest of the state suck.'”

Chaz Nuttycombe knows Virginia’s House of Delegates and State Senate districts inside out, so when he analyzes the Virginia Redistricting Commission’s map drawers’ proposed maps, it’s definitely worth paying attention. So now, Chaz has done just that – examining the Commission’s Democratic and Republican map drawers’ just-released maps (the Commission will meet on Monday, at which time they will look at the maps and discuss them).  What does Chaz think of the drafts? To put it mildly, NOT much – and it’s hard to say anyone should be surprised, given what a fiasco the Redistricting Commission has been, and given how a lot of us warned last year NOT to approve Amendment 1…but unfortunately voters did so anyway (sigh…). Anyway, here are “highlights” (or maybe “lowlights” would be a better word to describe these maps?) from Chaz’s Twitter thread on the maps:

• “Full drafts by Democratic and Republican consultants are out now. The first two images are D, second is R. There’s a lot about these maps I really hate.”
• “This Republican gerrymander of HD-12 is insane. Are you joking me right now? This is just blatant.”
• “The Democratic House map for Richmond sucks. The Republican one isn’t bad at all though. D on left, R on right.”
• “Why does neither plan connect Danville and Martinsville together? Ridiculous way to draw this area.”
• “I think those are all my quarrels with the House maps. I’m not vehemently opposed to the Hampton Roads draws. D on left R on right. I don’t love them, there are absolutely better ways to draw the region. But they don’t suck like other parts of the maps.”
• “The R consultant’s map in Hampton Roads and Richmond is an extreme gerrymander for the State Senate. Throw it out.”
• “The Democratic map for Richmond sucks too. Lakeside to King’s Dominion? Seriously? Shockoe Bottom to Powhatan?”
• “The Democratic map for Virginia beach is ridiculous too. There should be a coastal district, not two seats going to the city borders.”
• “Something good about these maps though is that they undo the D gerrymander from Roanoke to Blacksburg and make a competitive district in Roanoke and delete the Charlottesville-Bath gerrymander for Creigh Deeds.”
• “That’s it. There are very few highlights about these maps. It’s like they started off mostly reasonable in Northern Virginia and went, ‘Hey, let’s make the rest of the state suck.'”
• “I deleted my tweet on the Charlottesville area because I thought 80 and 76 were the same district somehow, similar colors. The D map for Charlottesville looks great (left). The R plan is a gerrymander (right)”

I deleted my tweet on the Charlottesville area because I thought 80 and 76 were the same district somehow, similar colors. The D map for Charlottesville looks great (left). The R plan is a gerrymander (right) pic.twitter.com/xadp4sbpL2

— Chaz Nuttycombe (@ChazNuttycombe) September 18, 2021