LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg city leaders launched a public survey about proposed scenarios for redistricting.
City Planner Tom Martin says Lynchburg is already broken up into four wards.
“The districts are primarily for council elections,” said Martin.
But residents told 10 News they didn’t know which ward they live in now or who their elected representatives are.
So what’s the point?
“The point is your district boundaries need to be substantially equal,” said Martin.
He says districts must be within five percent of the ideal population — that’s almost 20,000 people each ward.
Overall, Lynchburg gained about 4,000 residents since the 2010 census, so there needs to be a shift.
“Wards three and four need to lose population. Ward two needs to gain population,” said Martin.
Wards three and four include areas near Wards Road and Timberlake Road.
Ward two includes downtown and parts of Rivermont Avenue and Langhorne Road.
“They have to be based on census data down to the smallest block,” said Martin.
You can view the four options and fill out a paper survey at City Hall or the Lynchburg public library.
You can also complete it online here.
Martin hopes to have the data collected by April, then present it to city council, who will make the final decision.
Boundaries must be set at least 60 days before November’s election.