VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A bill cementing Virginia Beach's new voting system into law has passed the Virginia House of Delegates.
The City of Virginia Beach 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.
75 delegates voted yes to the bill which amended the city's charter to reflect the transition to the 10-1 voting system. 24 delegates voted no and one abstained.
The city has historically used an at-large system, meaning residents could vote for every candidate city-wide.
The bill comes as the city faces a lawsuit over the change to its election process. That lawsuit accuses city leaders of acting unlawfully because the city’s charter still supports an at-large voting system.
A former 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.
A city-wide survey in Virginia Beach found voters there “overwhelmingly” prefer the 10-1 voting system by 81 percent.
