Nelson supervisors take stance against redistricting

If the constitutional amendment passes in just more than a month, Nelson County would move from the 5th Congressional District to the new 6th District, which would include the counties of Albemarle, Amherst and Fluvanna; parts of the counties of Augusta, Bedford, Buckingham, Montgomery, Rockingham and Roanoke and the cities of Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Radford, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton and Waynesboro.

The resolution the board passed with Central District Supervisor Ernie Reed opposed states the wording on the amendment “to restore fairness in the upcoming elections is anything but fair and in reality, unfair to the citizens of Nelson County.” The Democratic-controlled state legislature is seeking new districts that would likely give Democrats a 10-to-1 advantage over the current 6-to-5 setup.

The board’s document states that the proposed redistricting maps “create and promote partisan gerrymandering” and strongly urges county voters to oppose the measure. Governing boards of multiple area localities, including Republican-leaning boards of supervisors in Amherst and Bedford counties, have passed similar resolutions against the referendum.

Some citizens who spoke to the board on Tuesday said supervisors should not tell constituents what to do in a politically divisive matter ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. Residents supporting the measure said the board should take a stand against a Democratic-led measure they believe would weaken representation in rural parts of the state that lean Republican.

East District Supervisor Jesse Rutherford said the matter is “very pertinent” to Nelson County residents. He called the proposed map “grotesque” for the way it would make Nelson underrepresented.

“It’s in this board’s interest to look out for our constituents,” Rutherford said. “Localities like us that are being stripped of rural representation. We should take a stand on that and say it’s wrong.”

'Old-fashioned politics' 

Reed said he had no part in the crafting of the "one-sided" resolution and asked Phil Payne IV, the county attorney, to give his advice on the matter. 

“I believe any attempt by an elected board to influence the vote of the people is not in the best interest of the people,” Reed said.

Payne said the board could make resolutions all day and send them to Richmond, but they wouldn’t do any good beyond being a symbolic statement.

“This is just old-fashioned politics,” Payne said of redrawing of boundaries for political gain. “It’s been going on since 1788 or so.”

The redistricting is in response to Texas and other states taking similar measures in favor of Republicans and President Donald Trump as they seek to keep both chambers of Congress in GOP control.

“I know for my constituents, this is a big deal,” Rutherford said. “This is going to take one more voice from the rural Virginian, specifically Nelsonian, off the table.”

“I appreciate your opinion,” Reed said. “I don’t appreciate that being the opinion of a board I’m sitting on.”

“You have the freedom to vote no,” Rutherford replied.

Reed said he feels it’s not the board’s job to draw conclusions for county voters. West District Supervisor David Parr feels that is exactly what Democratic leaders are doing.

“That’s a question every single voter should answer in their own way, and I don’t feel that my opinion should influence them in terms of what it is they’re going to vote on this or what they think about it,” Reed said.

“The governor certainly feels it’s her job to make her opinion,” Parr said, referring to Gov. Abigail Spanberger pushing for a yes vote.

“I’m not the governor,” Reed said.

“Well, we’re not Texas either,” Parr said.

North District Supervisor Cameron Lenahan said the new map undercuts rural areas and favors more populated areas.

“Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn what Texas is doing. This is Virginia,” Lenahan said.

100% about Trump 

Faber resident Michael Hevener, chair of the Nelson County Republican Committee, said 71% of Nelson County voters — just more than 6,240 — voted in 2020 in favor of the Virginia Redistricting Commission and a bipartisan redistricting process. He asked when 71% of the Nelson people could agree on anything.

The real point behind Democrats’ redistricting push is “we’re going to stick it to rural counties in order to get at our president.”

“This is 100% about Donald Trump,” Hevener said. “This is not about fairness, so let’s stop pretending.”

He said if redistricting passes, Nelson County will be fighting for scraps in the newly formed district, which he and thousands of other county residents are not OK with.

“This isn’t about us, about fairness — it’s about politics,” Hevener said. “It’s about sticking it to our president — period.”

Arrington resident James Bibb urged the board to stand up against political gerrymandering and called the redistricting proposal “an absolute farce.” A few other county residents expressed support for the board’s resolution.

Carlton Ballowe, of Faber, commended the board for showing courage in moving the resolution forward and described the Democrats’ redistricting and push for stricter gun laws as a “formula for tyranny.”

“You disenfranchise, and you disarm; both of those are on the platter,” Ballowe said.

Redistricting will have long-term negative effects for Nelson County, the former Nelson County Republican Committee chair said.

“That cannot be described as fair by any definition whatsoever,” Ballowe said.

Several other residents took a different view, with one citizen telling the board it has no dog in the fight, the resolution is reckless, unnecessary and will only add fuel to the fire in further dividing the county.

'Uncommon times' 

Paul Sullivan, chair of the Nelson County Democratic Committee, said Virginia’s approach is temporary and directly responsive to other states.

“The board has no real authority in the name of the county to ask me or tell me or any citizen how it should vote,” Sullivan said. “Such an action would be presumptuous. You should never tell a citizen how to vote. You can vote individually as you want, but not as a legislative body.”

He asked the board “to let common sense prevail” and table the resolution he described as ill-advised. Sullivan said the sacred act of voting "must not be tampered with by anyone looking to sow chaos and confusion in an election." 

"Our legislators properly handed the decision to the voters," Sullivan said. "Yes, our democracy is functioning well in Virginia by allowing voters to decide.”

One resident who spoke said her first reaction to the resolution was “how dare you,” and the board, in her view, is outside its jurisdiction in its stance on the matter. Another citizen said she was deeply disappointed in the resolution, and the people will decide the outcome in “uncommon times” of Trump’s second term.

Nelson resident Claudia Van Koba said she was sad to see the resolution.

“I’m not happy to use your authority in name of the county to tell me how to vote,” Van Koba told the board. “I’m asking you to let that die on the vine.”

Shipman resident Wisteria Johnson said she loves the county but is very upset by the board's action. 

“Do you fear now that there may be some people who are seeing the truth?” Johnson asked. “Has your sense of power gotten so big that dictatorship is part of you, too?”

Johnson believes the Republican Party under Trump is extreme and its policies are “killing America.”

“We are losing our democracy. This referendum is an attempt to maintain democracy,” Johnson said. “And we want it for our kids and our grandkids. If you keep going the way you are, there will be a dictatorship. The referendum is for the people, not for the local board. My recommendation to you is stay out of it.”

'Defining what is fair' 

Parr said he believes voters are confused, and the tipping point for him in being active against redistricting was the wording on the ballot for restoring fairness.

“Who doesn’t want to restore fairness?" Parr said. "To me it all comes down to that — fairness.”

Parr said he is surprised how rude some people have been when the board is doing what it feels is best for the Nelson community.

“If it has no power, why are you are so bent out of shape?” Parr said to those in opposition. “We were elected to represent Nelson County. I was not elected to represent Richmond … Fairfax, and I sure as hell wasn’t elected to represent D.C. I heard in a lot of those comments ‘don’t tell us how to vote.’ I’m not trying to tell anybody how to vote but I think the voters of Nelson County need to understand what this is trying to accomplish and I say, don’t define fairness for our voters.’”

He said the voters' confusion is, in his view, by design.

“To put the word fairness in the ballot is defining what is fair and what isn’t fair, and I think that’s wrong, and that is why I’m against this,” Parr said.

Reed thanked all residents who spoke and said it was a “vibrant, someways inspiring” discussion.

“I stand against any effort by people in power at any level, elected or appointed, to take actions that doesn’t fully support the will of the people, and I don’t think it’s dangerous for people to be able to decide this on their own,” Reed said. “We live in desperate times when people in power take desperate steps to secure their power.”

He said the resolution’s Republican-leaning wording seeks to influence “the vote to their own ends, their own benefit” and the matter should be in the hands of the voters.

“Fortunately, someone has already done that, this will be decided by a popular vote of the people and not by this board, and I’m sincerely grateful for that because I know what the result would be if it were otherwise,” Reed said.

Jessica Ligon, the board’s chair, said she felt both sides were voiced in a civil manner. 

“I have learned in this position we are the mouthpiece to higher level government and that is really an essential part of this job, is advocating for our county …” Ligon said.

The debate hopefully will create more educated voters, she said.

“If that’s the only thing this document does, I think that’s fair."