Chap. 177.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 2978 of the Code of Vir-
ginia. [H B 439]
Approved March 15, 1922.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That sec-
tion twenty-nine hundred and seventy-eight of the Code of Virginia
be amended and re-enacted so as to read as follows:

Sec. 2978. Number of wards in city; how changed.—In each city
of this Commonwealth there shall be as many wards as the city
council may establish ; but whenever, by the last United States census
or other enumeration made by authority of law, it shall appear that
the population in any ward exceeds that of any other ward by so much
as three thousand inhabitants, or whenever in the opinion of the
council it is necessary, or whenever the corporate limits of the city
shall be extended or contracted, if necessary, it shall be the duty
of the city council to redistrict the city into wards, or so change the
boundaries of existing wards, or so increase or diminish the num-
ber of wards, as that no one ward shall exceed any other ward in
population by more than three thousand inhabitants. But in no
case shall the city council redistrict the city into wards or change the
boundaries of existing wards, except in so far as it may be necessary
to change such boundaries for the purpose of attaching newly an-
nexed territory of such existing ward or wards as may be contiguous
thereto, oftener than once every five years, except upon a recorded
vote of three-fourths of the members elected to the council, or three-
fourths of the members elected to each branch thereof, when the
council is composed of two branches; and in every such case the
reason therefor shall be set forth in the ordinance providing for
such redistricting ; and provided, that whenever the city shall be so
redistricted, the judge of the corporation or hustings court shall
appoint three commissioners, whose duty it shall be to rearrange
and revise the registration books of said city, so as to place each
registered voter on the proper precinct and ward registration books,
and shall also have authority at any time, upon the recommendation
of the electoral board or city council of said city, if in his opinion he
deems it necessary, to appoint two commissioners whose duty it shall
be to revise, amend, rearrange and correct said registration books
and any errors and mistakes shown or appearing therein, for which
purposes the registrar shall, upon the order of the corporation court
or judge thereof, deliver to such commissioners so appointed the
registration books for the purposes aforesaid. The commissioners
shall, in either case, receive such compensation as the judge of the
corporation court may allow, to be paid by the city, together with’
all other expenses incurred thereby. But in cities having a general
registrar such general registrar shall be appointed by the judge of
the hustings or corporation court to so revise, amend, rearrange
and correct said registration books. A mandamus shall lie on behalf
of any citizen to compel the performance by the council of the duty
so prescribed. In all cases in which cities have been redistricted
into wards, or in which the boundary lines of existing wards have
been changed, the ordinances of said councils in so doing, which
were first adopted since the present Constitution took effect, are
validated; and said wards as designated and established thereby,
are hereby declared to be the existing wards of said cities, and the
time within which the same may be again altered or changed, or
said cities redistricted, shall be computed from the date of the adop-
tion of said ordinances, respectively.