Chap. 394.—An ACT to amend and re-enact Section 144 of the Code of Virginia,
as amended, relating to increasing, diminishing and abolishing voting dis-
tricts. [S 239]

Approved March 31, 1944

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That section one hundred forty-four of the Code of Virginia,
as amended, be amended and re-enacted, as follows:

Section 144. How number increased or diminished, abandoned or
abolished, or boundaries altered, or name changed.—Upon the petition
of twenty qualified voters of a magisterial district of a county, the circuit
court of the county may, in term time or: in vacation, in its discretion,
change the name of any election district therein, alter the boundaries of
any election district therein, and re-arrange, increase or diminish the
number thereof, or abandon or abolish any election district or voting
place therein, and it may change the voting places, or establish others
therein; provided that no election district shall hereafter be established,
or boundaries altered, re-arranged, or changed in any magisterial dis-
trict of a county unless each of the twenty qualified petitioning voters
actually reside and separately and individually hold in fee simple real
estate situated within the boundaries of the election district sought to
be established, altered, re-arranged, changed, increased, decreased,
abandoned or abolished. Provided that if in any election district or
voting place therein there be not twenty qualified voters within the
bound of the election, district or voting place sought to be abandoned
or abolished then the petition shall be signed by a majority of the quali-
fied voters of the election district. Provided further that if in any
such district or voting place there be not more than thirty qualified
voters as shown by the books of the registrar, the court or judge may
abolish the district or voting place upon petition of the governing body
of the county. When an order is entered under this section, changing
the name of an election district, or re-arranging, increasing or diminish-
ing the number of election districts or abandoning or abolishing any
election district or voting place in a magisterial district, it shall be the
duty of the court in its order to designate the new election district or
districts by proper and well-defined boundaries. A copy of the order
shall be posted, without delay at the courthouse of the county, also
at the voting place of an election district the name of which has been
changed, and at each new voting place established, and at any former
voting place which is affected by the change; but no change shall be
made in the name of any election district, or in any of the boundaries
or voting places, within thirty days next preceding any general election,
nor until notice has been posted for thirty days at the front door of
the courthouse and at each voting place in each election district to
be affected by the change.