CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Charlottesville and Albemarle County registrars, along with all but one across Virginia, continue to prepare early voting beginning March 6 for the April 21 special election involving the Congressional redistricting constitutional amendment.

Albemarle’s Board of Elections met Monday as they continued preparations, and Charlottesville Registrar Taylor Yowell told Cville Right Now, “Ever since we have been told there is a special election that will happen on April 21 with early voting on March 6, we have been making preparations for that.”

“And once we started, we have not stopped,” Yowell said.

“The only thing that will tell us at this point to hold out on early voting, to hold off on election day or anything of that sort is when the Department of Elections gives us that information, and they have not at this point.”

The redistricting amendment was one of four constitutional amendments the General Assembly passed the first week of the General Assembly session and Governor Spanberger signed last month.

It will be the soul ballot question April 21 with the other three amendments to be considered by voters in November.

The question reads, “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

A Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge Monday dismissed a lawsuit Monday filed after a resolution was passed by City Council seeking clarification if ““legally required, permitted, or prohibited from proceeding” with the election proceedings.

This case was filed after Tazewell County’s registrar ceased to move forward with their election proceedings following Tazewell Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr’s restraining order last week because he was specifically named in the suit seeking to stop those proceedings.

The Virginia Department of Elections right after the Tazewell restraining order was issued directed registrars to pause their preparations.

On Tuesday, the Department issued directions for all registrars to continue preparations, except for Tazewell where the registrar was named.

“I mean I’m sure other localities are going to handle that differently, but that is very much what our opinion and our stance is here in our office that until the state tells us not to move forward with voting, we have been told to move forward with it originally and so we are sticking with that until we are told to stop that from the Department of Elections,” Yowell said.

State Attorney General Jay Jones issued a statement following the Lynchburg Circuit decision: “Today the Office of the Attorney General stood up in court to protect the right to vote. The Lynchburg Circuit Court’s decision reinforces our position since the beginning — this election was properly called and will proceed as scheduled.

The Office of the Attorney General stood up in court to protect Virginians’ right to vote. We will continue working closely with state and local officials to guarantee a fair and orderly process and to safeguard every eligible Virginian’s ability to make their voice heard on April 21.

We will also continue to vigorously fight back against any efforts to interfere with Virginia’s ability to carry out statutorily mandated elections.”