Complex sentence: As of the 1840 census, the majority of the white residents of the state lived in western Virginia, but they were underrepresented in the legislature because of the continued property requirement for voting; not all held sufficient property to vote.
Split into simpler sentences: As of the 1840 census, western Virginia contained the majority of the white residents of the state. They were underrepresented in the legislature because of the continued property requirement for voting; not all held sufficient property to vote.