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There are already rumbles of division between NOVA and the rest of the state. Unlike in Maryland where the other 1/2 of the D.C. sprawl is located, that "rest of the state" outside the suburbs is a BIG chunk of territory with millions of people.
The issue is that NoVa, Richmond, and Tidewater economies carry the rest of the state. Frederick county leaving VA for WV would mean less funding for schools, road maintenance, and economic development initiatives. It also means losing out on access to a superior public higher education system for their children.
At the very least, the people of Frederick County would have to want this to happen (they don't), and the Virginia legislature would have to approve it (which is highly, highly unlikely). I can't think of any time a county has moved from one state to another, but I would assume the Congress would have to weigh in on it, and probably the Supreme Court since this would fall under more than one of the specific things they are giving authority to rule on.
Now, on what basis do you think this is going to happen?
The gun law hype is being way overblown. Virginia has had Democrat governors before and the State House has at one time or another also been Democrat controlled. Nothing happened. There might be a new law here and there such as only being able to buy one handgun a month (which by the way existed under Republican leadership prior to 2012 before it was ended) but Virginia is nothing like Maryland or New York or California. Many Democrats here even own guns and are also conservative Democrats- and there may be a very liberal one or two in Northern Virginia but they are in a big minority. The 'rumbles' are often that we pay a lot in taxes to fund pet projects in other parts of the state but that are in economic decline or stagnation- the same arguments are made in most states where there is a large urban/ rural divide. Virginia is also not as rural as people think- 3 million out of 8.5 million live in Northern Virginia. Over a million live in the Richmond metro and nearly 2 million in Hampton Roads- many citizens in those urban areas also helped turn Virginia blue.
AR-15 ban was being tossed around. Thousands of people showed up to protest. I don't think anything is being overblown, the two very different cultures now present in VA are coming face to face.
Your state will be changed just like MD was. It is only a matter of time as NOVA keeps growing. My guess is that rural DEMs in your state will switch parties over the next decade like what is happening in other states, once they see what DEM leadership, D.C. suburban style, actually means. I would expect to see some counties start rumbling to break away, or join another state. I doubt it happens though.
There are many news articles which verify that the Virginia General Assembly has already approved this, albeit the year was 1862. It was already affirmed in the Supreme Court, in 1870, that the invitation would remain valid until voted on by the population which has not yet occurred.
Ultimately, it would be up to the leaders and citizens of the county to hold a vote and make a decision. I assume Winchester would also have to go along with it given that cities are independent entities in Virginia.
I suspect this resolution is using Frederick as an example for any of the Virginia counties that would want to petition to leave Va and enter WV. The pros and cons are certainly debatable and can quickly turn political. But there is no doubt Virginia is becoming more dominated by urban voters which have voted a different way than most of the Va counties that border WV.
Won't happen. Requires both state legislatures as well as congress approval. No way in hell all sides would ever agree to this. Besides, even if it DID happen, it would open the floodgates for counties already in this state to leave, as Hancock (possibly Brooke as well) would try and leave ASAP for PA. I live in Hancock, pretty much everyone here would vote and make that move in an instant if we could.
There's no chance in hell this actually happens, but I don't think the writer of this resolution realizes that Winchester is an independent city and not a part of Frederick County.
If true, how can Winchester be the county seat of Frederick County?
Virginia law allows it. There are a number of similar examples- Fairfax City is the county seat of Fairfax County even though it is a separate entity. The independent city of Manassas is the county seat of Prince William County. The city of Salem is the county seat of Roanoke County. They have their own governments, school systems, etc but are still permitted to be the county seats even though not included in the respective county.
If true, how can Winchester be the county seat of Frederick County?
Because they didn't relocate the courthouse when Winchester was separated.
Adding to NOVAmtneer, independent Charlottesville is the seat of Albemarle County, independent Salem is the seat of Roanoke County, and independent Staunton is the seat of Augusta County. The only county to relocate their seat out of an independent city and into the county that I can think of is Henrico County leaving Richmond when they built a large new government complex in the 70s. But they kept the seat in Richmond for over 100 years after Richmond became an independent city.
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