I guess the sixth time is the charm. SJ352, patroned by Senator Creigh Deeds, has finally made it out of committee. The Senate Joint Resolution calls for the creation of a non-partisan, 13-member redistricting commission.
“This is how Virginians expect their legislators to lead: by building consensus, by working with their colleagues both Democratic and Republican, and by finding the common middle ground where we can all agree,” said Deeds. “The redistricting process for too long has been politicized by both sides at the expense of Virginia voters—I’m proud today to be able to bring together a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to begin the process of changing that.”
Congratulations to Senator Deeds for his perseverance on this matter. Now let’s hope that it passes on the Senate floor.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
This legislation is critical to correcting what one political commentator has called the “democracy deficit” caused by the current incumbency protection, partisan focused system. Everyone who wants to have their vote count should be supporting this legislation.