DOJ Approval Means Reston Now in 11th

The U.S. Department of Justice last week approved Virginia's congressional redistricting plan, allowing the new district boundaries to take effect for June primaries and the November general election.

The federal approval ends a lengthy and sometimes contentious redistricting process that began last year and stalled when the Virginia General Assembly could not reach an agreement on a congressional district map.

When Republicans took control of the state Senate in January, a GOP-designed plan passed both houses and was signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R).

A delay in the Justice Department's approval this year could have affected the schedule for party primaries in congressional races and the battle for Virginia's open U.S. Senate seat. The primaries are June 12. A bill passed in the Virginia General Assembly earlier this month that approved the shift in the primary to August, but will not go into effect since the DOJ acted in time.

The revisions are in response to population shifts revealed by the 2010 census. Under the Voting Rights Act, states are required to reassess districts every 10 years.

Reston will move from Rep. Jim Moran's (D)  8th District to Rep. Gerry Connolly's (D) 11th District.  

Reston formerly was in the 11th, but in 2001, Reston became part of Moran's district - which stretches in a thin line from Arlington and Alexandria through parts of Tyson's Corner to Reston. By rejoining Connolly's district, it unifies this part of Fairfax County.

The 11th will also be realigned to remove some parts of more Republican-influenced Prince William County. The 11th, which re-elected Connolly in one of the tightest races in the nation in 2010, currently includes a large part of Fairfax County, as well as areas stretching all the way to Haymarket in Prince William County.

To see a map of old Congressional districts and new, click here.