VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Major changes are coming to the Virginia Beach voting system.

To help residents understand and prepare for the change, the city has launched a webpage that explains what’s different and answers common questions.

The new webpage launched by Virginia Beach has several tools, including a way for residents to look up their district and a video explaining the new system.

In December, a federal judge made a final ruling in a multi-year case that challenged Virginia Beach’s at-large voting system. Under that system, residents voted for all 11 members of City Council, regardless of where they lived.

However, last year, a judge ruled that the system denied minorities equal access to the electoral and political process.

The federal court’s final ruling in December mandated the city to adopt new, redrawn maps for voting districts in Virginia Beach. The 10 districts have roughly 46,000 people in each.

Now, only the mayor will be voted on by all city residents. Other council members will only be elected by those who live in the district they represent.

The city said it would appeal the order, but the November 2022 election is likely to proceed under the new district system. Seven council seats are up for re-election.

Regardless, even if the city’s appeal of the redrawn districts is successful, a recently passed state law makes returning to the current system impossible.

On Jan. 21, Attorney General Jason Miyares and others from his office submitted a brief of amicus curiae in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The brief asks the court to vacate the previous injunction and either dismiss the case or rule in favor of the defendant, the City of Virginia Beach.

Read the brief of amicus curiae here.

Click here to visit the new webpage.