By Stephen J. Farnsworth
Following Virginia legislative elections in which 137 out of 140 state Senate and House of Delegate districts remained under the control of the same political party, Virginians surveyed recently said they overwhelmingly favored taking authority to design the district away from state lawmakers.
In a November 2015 statewide poll sponsored by the University of Mary Washington, 72 percent said that an independent commission should draw the district lines. Only 14 percent of those surveyed said the legislature should retain that authority.
