VI-AT LARGE 2022 redistricting

The VI-AT LARGE congressional district encompasses the entire United States Virgin Islands—a single non-voting delegate representing approximately 87,000 residents across St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John. This at-large structure reflects the territory's unincorporated status: USVI residents are US citizens who cannot vote in presidential elections and whose congressional representative cannot vote on final legislation. The 2022 redistricting maintained this unified structure because the population doesn't justify multiple districts. The territory's delegate position creates an unusual niche in federal politics: voice without vote, presence without power. This matters especially for issues like rum cover-over (98% excise tax rebate) and Medicaid funding that require congressional action. The USVI's political economy demonstrates dependency dynamics—federal transfers constitute about one-third of territorial GDP, making Washington's decisions existentially important to a place that cannot participate in choosing representatives who make those decisions. Tourism's dominance (60% of GDP) and manufacturing's collapse (post-Hovensa) have concentrated the economy in sectors with relatively little federal policy exposure, but infrastructure (hurricane recovery), healthcare (Medicaid caps), and fiscal transfers remain arenas where territorial voice matters. The at-large structure means a single delegate must represent deeply different constituencies: St. Croix's industrial workers, St. Thomas's tourism sector, and St. John's conservation economy.