Virginia Counties Can Become a Part of Another State Posted on November 15, 2019
This #Vexit proposal is different from secession because it is simply a shift in borders that does not affect the balance of power in the US Senate. It does not create a new state or increase the number of states.
Borders between states have been relocated many times in US history. If a deal were made that two state legislatures pass, a border change would almost certainly become a reality. According to a peer-reviewed law journal, “Prior to 1921, 36 compacts between states were put into effect with the consent of Congress; virtually all of these settled boundaries between contiguous states.”
Source: scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?&article=1544&context=penn_law_review
The most recent example was land transferred from Minnesota to North Dakota in 1961:
West Virginia was admitted to the Union in June 1863. The Virginia/West Virginia border was moved in August 1863 to annex Berkeley County to West Virginia, and then again in November 1863 to annex Jefferson County.
A January 2019 poll of those categorized as “liberal” or “very liberal”, living in the blue part of a state showed that 2/3 were willing to let low-income Trump-voting counties in their state become a part of another state. Although this was an Illinois poll, we hope that a poll of Virginia would yield similar results. The poll is here:
www.facebook.com/PeacefulBlueStateSecession/posts/404662573642356
The Democratic Party has a majority in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, and the governor is a Democrat. These politicians can be expected to be in favor of strengthening the position of their party in their state by letting low-income Trump-voting counties leave. They should be in favor of improving their state finances by allowing the departure of counties that don’t pay their share of income and sales taxes because of lower incomes.
It is unlikely that the Virginia General Assembly would allow the creation of a new state because this would increase the number of Republicans in the US Senate, and add 2 Republican electoral votes to presidential elections. It wouldn’t even allow the creation of a new blue state because that would make Virginia a red state- which would still add two Republicans to the US Senate.
Even Congress is unlikely to approve the creation of a new state, even when it is controlled by Republicans. From the point of view of US Senators, giving extra senators to every state that is willing to become multiple states is a dangerous precedent that would weaken the voice of their own state. This is all the more dangerous today, when progressives are looking for ways to ameliorate their disadvantage in the electoral college.
The Virginia General Assembly is also unlikely to want to give its favorite districts, the Democrat-voting districts, to Maryland or to DC. Those are the districts the majority relies on to retain control of the state.
This proposal presents three good options for Virginia to move its borders to put conservative counties on the other side of their borders. Option one is moving the West Virginia border. Option 2 is moving the Kentucky border. Option 3 is moving the Tennessee border.
If you favor one of the ideas in this proposal, please read the section of this proposal on Next Steps. We need your help to spread the word about this idea; please join these Facebook groups:
www.facebook.com/groups/793223164446214/
www.facebook.com/groups/2405381436368446/
Option One: Greater West Virginia
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