To Seat or Not to Seat?

It's a question that's dashing any hope for bipartisanship in the Virginia legislature.

IT TOOK all of two minutes for members of the Virginia General Assembly to abandon even the pretense of bipartisanship. That's when the House of Delegates, which convened last Wednesday, erupted over whether to seat an Alexandria Democrat who squeaked by in a special election the day before. Already, feelings -- and egos -- are bruised, and the slim chance of accomplishing anything productive in the 45-day session is fading. Lawmakers seem intent on retreating to their partisan trenches, but with a nearly $3 billion deficit out of a $77 billion biennial budget to address, it would be irresponsible to concede the middle ground so quickly.

The State Board of Elections certified that the 46th District's Charniele Herring beat Republican opponent Joe Murray by 16 votes in a snap election to fill a seat vacated by Brian Moran (D), who resigned at the last moment to focus on his gubernatorial campaign. The Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to prevent Ms. Herring from being seated to allow for a recount. Outraged House Democrats say that not seating Ms. Herring subverts the state constitution, sets a troubling precedent and disenfranchises voters in the district, which includes much of Alexandria and part of Fairfax County. Mr. Murray has a right to a recount, scheduled for next Monday, but the House should seat Ms. Herring in the interim, then replace her with Mr. Murray in the unlikely event that the outcome changes. It would be unfair for 46th District residents to go without representation for such a large fraction of the short session. Republicans say that Democrats would use legal obstacles to keep Ms. Herring in office for as long as possible if the results changed. Del. Kenneth R. Plum (D-Fairfax), the newly elected chair of the Democratic House Caucus, pledged that if the state certified Mr. Murray as the winner, Democrats would honor the result.

The kerfuffle over seating Ms. Herring has unraveled what once appeared to be a promising session. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) delivered a budget with the right cuts, and House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) showed a commitment to good government by ordering subcommittee votes to be recorded. Now, Republicans grumble that Mr. Kaine has turned himself into a polarizing figure by assuming the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee; Democrats grouse about a fundraising reform bill that they say targets their annual Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. Legislators from both parties are guilty of assuming that President Obama will come to the aid of states with a stimulus package, and they aren't taking the budget gap as seriously as they should. Meanwhile, as the two parties bicker, residents are, once again, left in the lurch. Voters aren't likely to forget this shirking of leadership when state elections are held in November.