Voting advocates, civic activists and everyday Virginians should commend draft redistricting maps that so-called “special masters” drew at the behest of the state Supreme Court. … Sean Trende and Bernard Grofman, the map-drawers selected by Republicans and Democrats, respectively, said in a memo that “they took seriously the Court’s command that, although we were nominated by the political parties, we would behave in ‘an apolitical and nonpartisan manner.’ … [Sean] Trende is a senior elections analyst at RealClearPolitics. [Bernard] Grofman is a [Distinguished Professor of] political science at the University of California, Irvine. As they crafted boundaries, where incumbents lived wasn’t part of the equation – and that’s how it should be. 

For the full story, please visit https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/12/16/new-legislative-maps-keep-faith-with-virginia-voters/.