The resources discussed below are based on the University Library's Newspaper and Magazine Databases website, which contains these and other sources.
The current guide is designed to assist W&L researchers to discover coverage in the principal Virginia newspapers -- Roanoke Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk), and Washington Post -- regarding the 2020 round of state legislative redistricting and the current term’s activity on the redistricting commission.
W&L researchers can find articles dating back to at least 1990 in the Roanoke Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) via our subscription to the NewsBank Access World News database.
At the bottom of the opening page is a link to about 125 news sources located in Virginia. Click on that link to restrict your searches to those sources, including the above three newspapers.
At this point, you have two options:
Searching and Saving
It seem likely that the basic search should be: (redistricting OR reapportionment)
Please note you can:
If you want to re-run your search on a regular basis, use the "Create Alert" option above search results to have the database automatically e-mail you new results every day (or other schedule).
Late Addition: Semi-Brilliant Idea
Click on this link to generate a search of the database for (a) articles from the Roanoke Times, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) that include (b) this search statement in the Opening/Lead paragraph -- (reapportionment OR redistricting) : short-cut link
W&L researchers can find articles dating back to the early 1908's in the Washington Post via our subscription to the Factiva database.
Searching and Saving
After generating the list of Post articles, you need to click on the "Modify Search" button to be able to add search terms:
Enter these search terms: virginia AND (redistricting OR reapportionment)
Please note you can:
This course introduces students to the history of voting rights discrimination against minorities in the United States with a particular focus on African Americans and gerrymandering. The course begins with a study of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how it has evolved through congressional amendments and Supreme Court decisions. We then investigate theories of minority representation and democracy. To place the theoretical aspects of the course into practical perspective, the class entails a lab component in which students learn to conduct basic spreadsheet and statistical analysis of data and use redistricting software (ArcMap). We will use Virginia elections and census data to produce alternative election maps of Virginia to demonstrate how we can make elections fairer, more competitive and create more opportunities for minority representation. Approved for Experiential Learning credit. (SS2) Rush and Keuttner.