Two new plaintiffs joined an amended federal complaint about a Virginia Beach local voting system that may result from language in the city charter, seeking to retain a federally installed 10-district system that was successfully challenged in state court and faces an upcoming city referendum.
Latasha Holloway and Georgia Allen, who are Black, and the two new plaintiffs – Carlos Pagan, who is Latino, and Nicole Boehm, who is Filipino and Mexican-American – on Aug. 7 filed an amended federal complaint to prevent future use of a 7-3-1 local system that would mix seven district and four citywide seats for City Council and School Board elections.
The filing says a 7-3-1 system violates the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965 by denying minority voters the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. It also isn’t allowed under the Virginia Voting Rights Act, the suit says…