Today, Virginians will vote on a mid-decade redistricting referendum. The ballot measure is a response to President Trump’s demand that Governor Abbott redraw districts of Texas, an order followed by other Republican governors.
Virginia’s Democratic trifecta proposes a map that Republicans worry will take the state’s Democratic lead from 6-5 to 10-1. Some voters have expressed confusion about what a “yes” or “no” vote on the measure actually means for the future of the Commonwealth.
The ballot question: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”
A “no” vote leaves maps as they are. A “yes” vote gives temporary permission for maps to be redrawn to counteract efforts in Republican-run states to favor Republican success in the 2026 midterms, likely creating 4 more Democratic seats in Congress.
Regardless of the outcome, redistricting will ensue as previously scheduled in 2031.
The confusion about which way to vote on the referendum is bolstered by both parties using quotes from members of the opposite party to endorse or decry redistricting.
Virginians for Fair Elections released a commercial featuring former president Barack Obama advising voters to vote “Yes” on April 21. This comes after mailers were sent in favor of a “no” vote using the words of Obama and other Democrats who railed against gerrymandering years ago, referencing Amendment 1 in 2020 to draw fair maps for Virginia.
A PAC led by former state delegate and Black Republican, A.C. Cordoza, was sharply criticized for sponsoring mailers that likened the proposal to Jim Crow. Attorney General Jay Jones and House Speaker Don Scott were among the critics, with both declaring that the Civil Rights Movement is “not a political prop.”
Republican-led states redrew maps last year, picking up as many as nine new red districts. California’s similar ballot measure last year passed and will potentially give Democrats as many as six new seats.
Polls close at 7 p.m. ET.
