VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An official has confirmed that the injunction that would have stopped Virginia Beach from using its 10-1 voting system has been denied by a judge.
On Tuesday, 13News Now learned from Deputy City Attorney Chris Boynton that a circuit judge denied an injunction to stop the use of the 10-1 voting system.
In a lawsuit filed in Virginia Beach Circuit Court in January, a former city councilman is part of a group alleging the City took away voters' rights when it began using a 10-1 voting system in November 2022.
A 10-1 system means residents can only vote for the candidates in their district. Before the new system, the city had historically used an at-large system, meaning residents could vote for every candidate city-wide.
A previous lawsuit alleged the city's all-at-large system disadvantaged minorities. In 2020, a federal judge sided with that argument, calling the at-large system illegal and ordering the use of a 10-1 election system.
The list of five plaintiffs in the current lawsuit features some familiar names, including former City Councilman Linwood Branch and Dee Oliver, who has held leadership roles with the city's planning commission.
RELATED: Lawsuit filed over Virginia Beach's new 10-1 voting system, claims it violates city charter
The lawsuit requests that a State court determine the legality of the decision and an injunction preventing the City from using the 10-1 system in the upcoming 2024 election. The plaintiffs also support the adoption of a 7-3-1 election system, as stated in the Charter.
Boyton said the judge's denial of the injunction means the system will still be in place for November 2024, even if the lawsuit from Linwood Branch is allowed to go to trial.