District consisting of all of Charlottesville and Albemarle County is critical because we share many of the same issues that other counties do not. Also many of the same constituents live in Greene County , Fluvanna ( mainly Lake Monticello area) or Nelson County. Adding the additional 12,000 constituents required to make a district could come from one or part of one of these counties. We elect delegates, representatives, and senators we trust to understand our counties and city well. This is not being done presently. Please see that this is done. It will also be less confusing for voters as to what district they actually belong to and who represents them.

Don’t divide Albemarle — oppose the Republican House of Delegates map! It continues the long practice of political gerrymandering. The very rural areas (further away from Charlottesville) of Nelson, Amherst, Greene and Orange have little community connection to Albemarle.

Don’t divide Albemarle — oppose the Republican House of Delegates map! It continues the long practice of political gerrymandering. The very rural areas (further away from Charlottesville) of Nelson, Amherst, Greene and Orange have little community connection to Albemarle.

The SWVA districts are relatively compact but there are a few instances where “communities of interest” have been improperly and unnaturally divided. The most obvious example is proposed House districts 97, 98 and 99. While the proposals vary, it is important to keep in mind that the I-81 corridor and the coalfields are very separate communities of interest. They always have been and anyone in either region would agree with that statement. For instance, Bristol, Washington and Smyth are natural links while adding Russell County to any one of those is not. Russell County is located within the Virginia Coalfield Economic Authority (VCEDA) and Cumberland Plateau planning district footprint and logically belongs with Buchanan and Tazewell Counties, while Bristol, Washington and Smyth are in the Mount Rogers planning district footprint and fit nicely together. Both examples are important to each region. A good example of the importance of this is proposed House district 100 where the district almost exclusively encompasses the LENOWISCO planning district footprint. District 100 has been nicely drawn. The current makeup of the 5th and 6th House districts is actually a very natural and logical way to split Smyth County. Smyth has historically been the connector from Bristol and Washington to Wythe, Bland, etc. The western portion of Smyth County is within the Virginia Highlands Community College (VHCC) footprint, while the eastern portion of the county is within the Wytheville Community College (WCC) footprint. VHCC also serves Bristol and Washington while WCC serves Wythe, Bland, Grayson, Galax and Carroll. Smyth, Wythe and Bland have also shared a library system over the years. Additionally, the high school athletic districts naturally group most schools in Bristol, Washington and Smyth together, while also grouping most schools in the coalfields region together. Smyth and Washington also share and Industrial Facilities Authority with one another. The proposed districts can be easily changed to accommodate these communities of interest. The proposed 99th could encompass Bristol, Washington and the western half of Smyth. The proposed 98th could then encompass all or most of Russell, which makes geographical sense. The proposed 97th could then add Bland to what is being proposed. There will be almost no change in the partisan makeup of the districts, but they will be much more in line with what folks in the region know, love, and expect.

See attached

Please opposed the Republican plan to divide Albemarle County -- it continues the long practice of political gerrymandering by suggesting combinations of counties that have little community connection to Albemarle. Further, I suggest you keep Albemarle (and Charlottesville) together as a community of interest. Everyone in Albemarle shares economic and cultural ties to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. There is little question this is the relevant "hub." It is also clear that there is no real need to divide Albemarle to get districts of equal population; again, this is simply gerrymandering. There are more legitimate ways to complete the 2nd Albemarle district.

Please opposed the Republican plan to divide Albemarle County -- it continues the long practice of political gerrymandering by suggesting combinations of counties that have little community connection to Albemarle. Further, I suggest you keep Albemarle (and Charlottesville) together as a community of interest. Everyone in Albemarle shares economic and cultural ties to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. There is little question this is the relevant "hub." It is also clear that there is no real need to divide Albemarle to get districts of equal population; again, this is simply gerrymandering. There are more legitimate ways to complete the 2nd Albemarle district.

Lake Monticello is more a community of interest to Albemarle County than the remote parts of Augusta County that are tied to District 81 that go all the way to Weirs Cave. Please Add the attached portion of Fluvanna County to District 81 Instead and make Charlottesville's District more of a radius around the city.

This B4 map keeps the community of Bon Air more intact than B3 and the two A versions.

Separating the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor like this between 4/5 is not in the best interest of renters or that transportation node. Add areas north of 10th st & Wilson Blvd that are east of Glebe Rd into District 1. If extra population is needed in district 2, bump the north western section to run straight up to up Washington Blvd in areas west of Glebe.

Good job on the maps. For Roanoke City, District 92, the Crystal Spring precinct is more closely tied to the rest of the district than the East Gate precinct of Roanoke City. This would help keep this community of interest together.