Adjustments made to realign New Kent’s redistricting map with state’s plan

Two months after approving a redistricting plan for the county as required by law, New Kent County leaders had to make a minor retool of the boundaries.

New Kent County Administrator Rodney Hathaway spoke with county supervisors at Monday night’s board meeting on the recommended changes.

According to Hathaway, after the board of supervisors approved the redistricting plan on Dec. 14, 2021, the Virginia State Supreme Court approved a plan for redistricting boundaries. The changes made at the Supreme Court level resulted in New Kent County being split into two separate districts for the House of Delegates.

The new lines see the western half of New Kent County being represented by District 60, which includes all of Hanover County. The eastern portion of the county falls into District 71 and includes all of Williamsburg and James City County.

However, two portions of New Kent’s redistricting plan does not line up with the state’s new layout. Hathaway commented that if New Kent chose to remain with the current redistricting plan, you could have several residents living in the same district having different ballots due to those areas having two different representatives for the House of Delegates.

Hathaway proposed a plan that will see a slight shift in the number of residents in each district to account for the state’s realignment. District 1 will lose 18 residents, while District 3 will lose 72 residents. District 2 will also lose approximately 94 residents. To balance this out, District 4 will gain 94 residents, while District 5 will gain 72 residents.

Supervisors approved the changes unanimously to bring the map in alignment to the redistricting. An updated map can be viewed at the New Kent County Administration Building and on the New Kent County website. Those affected by the new changes are expected to be contacted and receive notices from county administration.