CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) – Chesapeake council voted 6-3 on Tuesday night to reject a resolution for an advisory referendum on the proposed changes to the city’s voting system. Council members Carey, Ike and Ward voted yes for the resolution.

The vote was to change Chesapeake’s voting system from an at-large system to a ward system which would have split the city into eight districts with a councilmember representing each district.

Virginia Beach recently changed from an at-large system to a 10-1 voting district, following a federal court ruling in 2021 which found that the former at-large system “denies Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians equal access to the electoral and political process.”

Councilmembers in favor of the change spoke during the meeting about how the current only comes from a handful of neighborhoods, with many not represented. Some people even stating they were worried the city would be sued if they don’t adopt the ward system.

Those in opposition of the vote stated that they are satisfied with the way the city is run now.

Currently, the NAACP is leading the charge on the effort to change system, saying it’s about making sure the voters have proper representation.

The Chesapeake Branch NAACP said in a statement they are disappointed to see the majority of council members vote against the proposed system. They believe this decision will leave many Chesapeake residents without representation at the city leadership level.

“We will continue to advocate for Single-Member Voting District representation to ensure all voices in our community are heard,” their statement reads.

The referendum would have allowed voters in Chesapeake to decide to change the voting system in November. From there, the vote would have gone to the General Assembly to approve it at the state level.

One member, Amanda Newins, said she was worried about city leaders not having a say in the voting system.

“Y’all said all night long, listen to the people, listen to the people,” Newins said. “Well I’d rather listen to y’all than the General Assembly any day, and you can tell them that. I think it’s so important that the people’s voices are truly heard. And by the General Assembly snatching the issues from us and taking control of it is not the citizens having input.”

The City of Chesapeake also briefly discussed the issue of curbside recycling. Currently, anyone in Chesapeake who wants to recycle has to bring their bins to drop-off sites.

After the city canceled curbside pick-up in 2022, a citizen-led group started working to bring it back. Leaders of the group have told our news team, they want to do right by the environment and think the city plays a critical role. Chesapeake mayor Rick West said re-implementing it would be a budgeting issue, costing millions.

Councilmembers decided to continue the issue to July 9 in order to talk about a monthly fee for curbside recycling.