Virginia Beach voting system remains in limbo after Senate rejection

For the second straight year, Virginia Beach’s attempt to formalize its voting system in its city charter has hit a dead end in the state Senate.

House Bill 1687, which sought to officially establish the city’s 10-1 voting system, failed to secure the required 27 affirmative votes in the Senate on Thursday — just as it did last year. The bill had previously made it to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk, but without final approval from the legislature, the effort remains stalled.

Two votes this week saw the same outcome: 21-18 against the proposal. The city council had opted not to amend Virginia Beach’s charter to reflect the 10-1 system last year, prompting some lawmakers to take matters into their own hands. But Sen. Bill DeSteph, R-Virginia Beach, distanced himself from the push.

“Until our city council becomes unanimous on this, I would suggest that we vote no on this matter,” DeSteph said Thursday.





https://virginiamercury.com/2025/02/13/virginia-beach-voting-system-remains-in-limbo-after-senate-rejection/