Local elections in Virginia Beach are little more than a year away, and that ticking clock matters to plaintiffs in a federal voting rights suit against the city.
The city, too, is aware of the timetable but wants voters to choose their preferred method for selecting local elected officials. And voting is now underway in a referendum. It offers a choice between the 10-1 district system used in 2022 and 2024 or a “modified” version of Virginia Beach’s old 7-3-1 voting system, which is in the city charter but has never been used.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson heard arguments from the city and the plaintiffs regarding the city’s motion to dismiss the amended complaint that the plaintiffs filed in August…