Greenbrier County could be split into three separate delegate districts if a proposed House Redistricting Committee map receives final approval.
During the special session on Monday, Oct. 11, called by WV Gov. Jim Justice, members of the House Select Committee on Redistricting proposed a map that would create 100 single-member districts in accordance with the passage of a 2018 bill. Currently, the state has 67 delegate districts.
The three proposed districts would be numbered 46, 47 and 48. Delegate District 46 would include:
-13,506 residents in eastern Greenbrier County;
-3,901 residents of southern Pocahontas County.
Delegate District 47 would include:
-17,906 residents of western Greenbrier County;
-117 residents of northern Monroe County.
Delegate District 48 would include:
-1,565 residents of northern Greenbrier County;
-7,524 residents of Nicholas County;
-8,378 residents of Webster County.
During the special session, Delegate Shawn Fluharty (D-Ohio, 03) asked why a recent change was made in reference to proposed District 48.
The response to his question was that district lines were redrawn after Del. Brandon Steele (R-Raleigh, 29) noted in an email that a prior map included a portion of Pocahontas County that houses the headquarters of a white supremacist political organization known as the Aryan Nation. The incumbent who would have faced running a campaign in the proposed district, Assistant Majority Whip Caleb Hanna (R-Nicholas, 44), is black. It was noted that this district change needed to be made as a special consideration.
Fluharty also questioned if committee members were aware that 36% of the Democratic caucus would have to face each other in upcoming campaigns as a result of this redistricting, versus only 5% of those in the Republican caucus. He was met with the answer that perhaps his numbers were skewed because there are a larger number of Republicans currently holding office.
Currently, the majority of Greenbrier County is housed in Delegate District 42, represented by Todd Longanacre (R-Greenbrier) and Barry Bruce (R-Greenbrier).
A small portion of Greenbrier County, down the Route 20 corridor to Quinwood, is currently part of Delegate District 41.
The House planned to meet again to further discuss the proposed map on Oct. 12, but details of this session were not available as of press time. Both the House and the Senate must pass the bill before it reaches the Governor’s desk for approval.
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