Chesterfield County, which grew by nearly 50,000 people, from 316,000 to 364,000 in the past decade according to 2020 U.S. Census data is currently undergoing a redistricting process. County officials presented a redistricting proposal to the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Chesterfield County’s top elected officials on Wednesday got their first look at draft revisions of lines determining the magisterial districts they represent.
The process, known as redistricting, is legally required every 10 years to ensure the county is sliced up into similarly-sized pieces that don’t dilute or concentrate the voting power of any racial group. Changes the Board of Supervisors ultimately must approve have the potential to impact local elections for the decade to come in a shifting county, long seen as a conservative stronghold but increasingly politically competitive.
Chesterfield’s population shot up nearly 15% in the past decade — an increase of nearly 50,000 people — in growth largely driven by an influx in resident of color. Now home to 364,000 people, Chesterfield must take its fresh 2020 Census data and redraw lines that keep its five districts evenly sized.
Ideally, each district will have about 73,000 residents, staff told the board on Wednesday. The redistricting process does not affect school boundary lines. Every decade, the county also establishes voting precincts.
According to the plan, the Dale district would gain 2,318 Clover Hill residents and 1,575 Midlothian residents, while Clover Hill would add 4,867 residents from Matoaca and Midlothian would gain 365 Matoaca residents. The Bermuda district would remain untouched and Matoaca would not gain any residents, only lose them.
