Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
Editorial
Oath of office
T. Though the state House and Senate redistricting plans crafted by the General Assembly last spring have won the blessing of the Department of Justice, they invoke only oaths from many Virginians, as well they should.
Our objections to the plans are not based on partisan political considerations. They rest, instead, on good old-fashioned notions of fairness.
The Democratic majority exercised its iron-fisted control of the General Assembly in the most blatant, partisan manner when it drew the new district lines. The Democrats went far beyond merely taking political advantage of their control — they shamelessly gerrymandered the entire state — using as a thin and largely extraneous excuse that their contortions were necessary to meet Justice Department approval for minority representation.
True, the Justice Department oversight of Virginia and Sight other Southern states does require the creation of blackmajority districts wherever reasonably possible. But that requirement of the Voting Rights Act was never meant as a smokescreen for any political party to extend its power. * In fact, the creation of House and Senate districts that Combine disparate populations linked only by the color of their Skin may do more in the long run to dilute their voting power than would compact, contiguous districts where the residents share common concerns. Blacks do not need black-majority districts to be elected, as the several black representatives in the General Assembly from white-majority districts will attest.
* In fact, the motive behind the final redistricting maps created this year looked at times more like a contest to see which plan could create the most new districts containing two Republican incumbents, while leaving the greatest number of open seats in traditional Democratic strongholds. * No one, except the incumbents, will benefit from the gerrymandering done by the Democrats this year. The 18th Senate District, which stretches 180 miles across Southside Virginia, and is one-half mile wide at one point, is a perfect example. What kind of representation can the residents of that district expect? 3* With the entire General Assembly running for election jjiis year — all 100 House and 40 Senate seats — the Democrats obviously took advantage of their control to create a beneficial situation come election time.
93.3%