The Virginia Beach City Council votes to end the 10-1 voting system by 2025

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – By a 7-4 vote at Tuesday’s Virginia Beach City Council meeting, the City Council voted to halt implementation of the 10-1 district voting system until 2025.

Eighty-one percent of residents supported the system, which was designed to promote fair representation by ensuring each district elects one councilor.

“The 10-1 system is the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It’s about people of color having a seat,” a Virginia Beach resident told News 3’s Leondra Head in October.

View related coverage: Virginia Beach NAACP urges people to support 10-1 voting system

Virginia Beach NAACP holds City Hall with a 10-1 voting system

The City Council formally adopted the system in May 2023, and the system has been in effect for the last two elections, including the 2024 election.

On Monday, the Virginia Beach NAACP held a meeting about the 10-1 system and urged voters to speak at the city council meeting.

View related coverage: Virginia Beach residents debate 10-1 voting system for City Council

Virginia Beach residents debate the 10-1 voting system before the City Council

“Again, I want to make sure we’re there tomorrow,” Gary McCollum said at the NAACP meeting. “We are not going back to an old system where people with monetary interest, especially on the beach, controlled everything in the city of Virginia Beach.”

Before the 10-1 implementation, voters could vote for all eleven city council members.