VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In a 7-4 vote during Tuesday’s Virginia Beach City Council meeting, the city council decided to halt implementation of the 10-1 district voting system for 2025.

Eighty-one percent of residents supported the system, which was designed to promote fair representation by ensuring that each district elects only one council member.

“The 10-1 system is the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It’s about black people taking place,” Virginia Beach resident Leondra Head told News 3 in October.

Follow Related Coverage: Virginia Beach NAACP Urges People to Support 10-1 Voting System

The Virginia Beach NAACP holds the mayor’s office by a 10-1 vote

The city council officially adopted the system in May 2023, and the system has been in effect for the last two elections, including the 2024 one.

On Monday, the Virginia Beach NAACP held a meeting about the 10-1 system and urged voters to speak out at the city council meeting.

Follow related coverage: Virginia Beach residents debate system 10-1 vote before city council

Virginia Beach residents debate the system in a 10-1 vote before the city council

“Again, I just want to make sure we show up tomorrow,” Gary McCollum said at the NAACP meeting. “We’re not going back to an old system that had people with vested interests, primarily on the beach, controlling everything in the city of Virginia Beach.”

Prior to the 10-1 implementation, voters could vote for all 11 city council members.