WVa gov calls special legislative session for redistricting

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice on Friday called a special session of the Legislature for next week to deal with redistricting as well as to dole out federal pandemic funding.

The session is set to start on Monday. Lawmakers already were scheduled to be in Charleston on Sunday through Tuesday for interim committee meetings.

Population changes from the 2020 Census require states to review their congressional and legislative districts to ensure equal representation. West Virginia will lose one of its three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Next year, the entire House of Delegates will be elected from single-member districts for the first time under a law passed in 2018. Currently, more than half of the House is elected from multiple-member districts.