VA HB168

Requires localities with populations of 400,000 or greater to elect governing body members by individual single-member districts with substantially equal populations, effective for municipal elections after July 1, 2026

Allows a governing body's presiding officer (such as mayor) to continue being elected at large rather than by district

Mandates that localities not already meeting single-member district requirements must establish districts and reapportion representation following existing state reapportionment procedures

Validates ordinances with single-member district maps that governing bodies adopted prior to 2026, making them effective upon the act's passage

Declared an emergency measure, taking effect immediately upon passage rather than the standard July 1 effective date