District 5 of the Virginia Senate is a senatorial district that encompasses portions of the independent cities of Chesapeake and Norfolk in the U.S. state of Virginia. This district is represented by Democrat Kenny Alexander of Norfolk, who was elected in a special election on September 4, 2012 to replace the previous senator who died in office.
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Historic boundaries
The 5th District was, from before 1940 until 1971, a Southside Virginia senate district, encompassing the counties of Isle of Wight, Nansemond, Southampton, and the City of Suffolk. On December 22, 1961, when the town of Franklin in Southampton County became an independent city, it was included in the 5th. During most of this period, most African Americans throughout Virginia were disfranchised by provisions of the state constitution and discriminatory administration of the law. The district elected only white conservative Democrats.
The federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 authorized the federal government to oversee states and enforce the constitutional right to vote, and minorities regained their ability to exercise their franchise. In a late 20th-century realignment of political parties, white conservatives moved into the Republican Party. Democrats in Virginia now generally have liberal views, and the party has white and minority members, including most African Americans. The district elected Kenny Alexander in a special election to fill the position left empty after the incumbent died in office.
In 1971, a federal judge ordered the creation of a consolidated 3-member Senate District which included all of the City of Norfolk. This was to satisfy the federal constitutional requirement that all legislative districts be roughly equal in population.
Current boundaries
The 5th District comprises parts of the cities of Chesapeake, and Norfolk in the Hampton Roads area. The district includes Downtown Norfolk and most of Chesapeake inside the Hampton Roads Beltway.
District officeholders
Since 1940