CHARLESTON, W.Va. —The West Virginia Legislature’s Joint Committee on Redistricting has announced the format for public hearings on redistricting, which are set to begin next week. The hearings include one slated for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 10 at Stonewall Resort in Lewis County.
These are listening events for the public to share their thoughts about Congressional and legislative boundary lines. The West Virginia Constitution requires the Legislature to redraw these lines every 10 years utilizing U.S. Census data to reflect any population changes. Due to the delay in the federal government releasing Census data, specific population numbers will not be available at these events, and the Committee will not be presenting any proposed maps. Legislators will not respond to questions during the public hearing, following House Rule 84 which governs public hearings.
All 12 in-person public hearings will take place from 6-8 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. to begin the sign-in process. Anyone who would like to be guaranteed an opportunity speak during the hearings will need to be present to sign in by 6 p.m. The events will begin shortly after 6 p.m. with welcome remarks and a reminder of these procedures. The number of people who sign in to speak at each hearing will be divided by the amount of time available for the event to determine the amount of time each person will have to speak, in line with House Rule 84. A red light will indicate when each speaker has reached the time limit and will be asked to conclude his or her remarks before announcing the next speaker.
All attendees will be given an informational brochure with reminders of how the Redistricting process works according to the state Constitution, as well as information about how to provide suggestions throughout the process, all of which may be found at https://www.wvlegislature.gov/redistricting.cfm.
Hearings are scheduled for the following dates and locations, and are subject to change:
(please note, there are some updates to our previous news release with dates and locations below):
July 27: Putnam County Judicial Building, The Courtroom, Room 202
12093 Winfield Road Winfield, WV 25213
July 29: Chief Logan Lodge Hotel Conference Center
1000 Conference Center Drive, Logan, WV 25601
Aug. 3: Tamarack, Gov. Hulett C. Smith Theater
1 Tamarack Park, Beckley, WV 25801
Aug. 4: Summersville Arena & Conference Center
3 Armory Way, Summersville, WV 26651
Aug. 10: Stonewall Resort State Park, Birch Room
149 State Park Trail, Roanoke, WV 26447
Aug. 12: Monongalia County Extension Services & 4H Center at Mylan Park
270 Mylan Park Lane, Morgantown, WV 26501
Aug. 17: Martinsburg Sheriff’s Office Meeting Room
510 S Raleigh St, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Aug. 18: Keyser VFD Station 2
1550 Cornell St Keyser WV 26726
Aug. 24: Wheeling Independence Hall
1528 Market St, Wheeling, WV 26003
Aug. 26: Cabell County Courthouse, Courtroom #1 Judge Paul Farrell’s courtroom
750 5th Ave, Huntington, WV 25701
Sept. 9: The Culture Center, Building 9, Capitol Complex
1900 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25305
Sept. 16: Judge Donald F. Black Courthouse Annex
317 Market St, Parkersburg, WV 26101
Dates for three virtual public hearings will be announced at a later date. Once the initial plans are completed by the Joint Committee on Redistricting, the House and Senate will generate the necessary reports and maps to draft redistricting bills.
