CHESAPEAKE, Va. — There are growing calls to change the way elections are done in Chesapeake.
The Chesapeake NAACP branch wants elected leaders to abandon the current at-large voting system for the city council and school board.
"With an at-large system you do not have a specific councilman or school board member that you are to go to and ask for help," said the group's president Dr. Shirley Auguste.
Under the city's charter, Chesapeake residents vote for a mayor and eight council members regardless of where they live in the city.
Auguste said her group wants to switch to a single-member district format, where voters choose one person to represent their part of the city.
In a press release, the organization said the change must happen "for equality and fair representation."
She said Chesapeake, the second-largest city in the Commonwealth, is too big for the current system to remain effective and that multiple districts are not represented.
"If I live in Great Bridge, I want to know my issues in Great Bridge are being focused on. If I live in Deep Creek, my issues are going to be addressed," she said.
The topic sparked a tense exchange between Chesapeake Mayor Rick West and City Councilman and mayoral candidate Don Carey at last week's city council meeting.
It also comes after Virginia Beach adopted a similar change to its voting system in 2023. The decision and efforts to codify the change have been met with legal opposition.
On Tuesday, a Virginia Beach city official confirmed a judge denied an injunction that would have stopped Virginia Beach from using its 10-1 voting system.
Auguste said the NAACP chapter supports efforts in Virginia Beach, and they want Chesapeake leaders to work to add a referendum to the November ballot.
"We want our voices in different communities to be heard, and we need representation," she said.
The Chesapeake NAACP branch will host a town hall on Thursday, May 23. The discussion will take place at 7 p.m. at New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church at 1765 S Military Hwy.