A Virginia redistricting proposal won voter approval in Virginia on Tuesday. In response, a Republican lawmaker introduced a “Make DC Square Again” bill Thursday that would move part of the state to DC territory.
Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick’s “Make DC Square Again” bill would annex Arlington County and the City of Alexandria as part of DC.
McCormick says his legislation will “undo the unconstitutional 1846 retrocession of Arlington County and the City of Alexandria from the District of Columbia to Virginia. This will restore DC’s original boundaries established by the Residence Act of 1790.”
Virginia’s Redistricting Referendum
The bill intends to counter the referendum allowing Virginia’s General Assembly to redraw congressional districts ahead of November’s midterms. The new districts could potentially secure Democrats 10 of the state’s 11 congressional seats.
Voters in Arlington and Alexandria tend to vote Democratic; both areas voted “yes” to the redistricting. If those areas became part of DC, the votes would not be counted toward the midterm elections.
“The retroceded areas of Arlington and Alexandria alone contribute roughly 250,000 DC votes in Virginia statewide elections, votes that belong to Washington DC,” McCormick says. “The Make DC Square Again Act restores the original 10-mile-square District and ends the artificial advantage Virginia Democrats have recently gained from all the federal bureaucrats moving into Virginia.”
It would also mean that these areas would lose full congressional representation.
“The Make DC Square Act restores the District of Columbia as the Founders envisioned it,” McCormick says.
What are your thoughts on the bill? Check our NoVA Daily page on Monday for the results.
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