NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Your voting map in Newport News will look a little different. City leaders are scheduled to vote on a new redistricting plan on Tuesday night.
This comes after a series of meetings to collect feedback from the community on plans to redraw city council and school board districts. Newport News Mayor Dr. McKinley Price said the redistricting means changes for some residents.
“Some of them will be represented by a different council member and they would also have to go to a different district in voting," Dr. Price said.
Dr. Price explained redistricting the city is all about balance; city populations tend to shift as the years go by.
“Some districts grew and some did not," he said. “This is purely about population and distribution.”
The mayor said city leaders are trying to keep each district at about 62,000. There are three different options on the table:
- The first option moves Oyster Point and Jenkins to the central district, while Knollwood Meadows and Sanford head to the north district. Warwick and Hilton head over to the south district.
- The second option is a little different with Deer Park in the south district, and River in the central.
- The third option, while also similar, adds Saunders to the central district, Hilton to the south, and Bland to the north.
“And tonight we will decide on which of those options council wants to put forward," Dr. Price said.
Newport News resident Salis Corley says she supports the map that balances the population, the most.
“That’s actually good," Corley said. "So that we can actually spread out.”
Resident Velvet Smith, however, said she doesn’t think much should change.
“I don’t think we need any big changes," she said. "We’re getting a lot of people in the east end and southeast district and they’re voting. I think it should stay the same.”
Dr. Price pointed out, redistricting is required every 10 years by law.
“We’re not doing this because we have nothing else to do," he said. "This is the law.”
According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city of Newport News grew by 3% since 2010. That’s an increase of about 5,500 people.
A look at the proposed maps and more information on Newport News' redistricting plans can be found on the City of Newport News' website.