By Steven Allen Adams, The Journal
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — After just over an hour of discussion and debate, a committee of the West Virginia House of Delegates approved a map creating 100 single-member districts, while shooting down attempts by House Democrats to tweak the lines.
After the House gaveled in for its floor session Monday morning on the first day of a special session, the House Redistricting Committee passed out an updated version of a delegate district map released at the end of September.
Committee staff member Jeff Billings explained the changes in the new map compared to the September map. Billings said many of the changes to boundaries were at the request of county clerks in order to minimize changes to voting and magisterial districts and to save money on ballot preparation costs.
Billings said the committee also received additional feedback regarding keeping certain communities of interest together. House Minority Whip Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, asked how committee staff came to some of their conclusions and whether input was sought from county and city officials.
Fluharty raised concerns about the percentage of Democratic House members facing fellow Democratic House members. According to Fluharty, 36% of current Democratic lawmakers would likely have to run against a fellow Democrat in the 2022 primary elections…