Elections have consequences - Republicans will postpone congressional redistricting until January

In one of their first moves since Tuesday’s election, Republicans said Wednesday they would wait until January when they are in power in both the House and Senate to redraw the state’s 11 congressional districts

“I really don’t see the point with a new legislature coming in in January,’’ House Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) said Wednesday at a news conference. “Even though we tried to call the Democrats and have them come back prior to the election, they didn’t seem to want to do it.’’

The decision virtually ensures the state would keep its 8-3 split of Republican vs. Democratic congressmen.

In April, the GOP-controlled House adopted a new map drawn in consultation with Virginia’s incumbent congressmen to reflect population shifts revealed by the 2010 Census.

The Democratic-led Senate passed a competing map which would create a new district in which black voters are a sizeable minority, in addition to another district in which they hold a majority. The House plan, like Virginia’s current map, includes one minority-minority district.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/virginia-politics/post/republicans-will-postpone-congressional-redistricting-until-january/2011/11/09/gIQAbKxT6M_blog.html