It will be a race against the clock to get new House districts drawn in time for elections next Nov. This visual explains how 2 factors - delayed data and new voter-approved redistricting process - could leave little time to get the maps drawn. https://bit.ly/3pQAxKu 

Traditionally, #Virginia and NJ are the first to get new population data because they are the only 2 states that must redraw legislative districts AND hold an election the year after the Census.

Last month, the chief if the Census redistricting team said there may be no early release this year in part because of time challenges brought on by the pandemic. He said it was "likely" though not certain that Virginia would get its data w/other states at the April 1 deadline.

The thing is, legislators were told recently that @vaELECT would need maps by April 2 in order to hold November House elections in the new districts. If you doing the math at home, that would leave a single day to get the job done.

The April 2 deadline was based on House primaries being held on August 24. @vaELECT says once maps are drawn, local election officials 99 days to reassign voters to their new districts and to give time for candidates to qualify for the ballot.

Add to that 45 days of early voting, and that takes you from August 24 all the way back to April 2. Lawmakers could buy more time by reducing number of days of early primary voting.