Virginia voters on Tuesday approved a sweeping redistricting referendum that paves the way for a new congressional map that could give state Democrats a 10–1 advantage in Congressional representation.
With 82% of the vote counted, the ‘YES’ side is leading with 50.30% of the vote, according to the Associated Press, delivering a significant win for Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who previously said she had “no plans” to pursue redistricting. The AP called the race at 8:49 pm local time.
If fully implemented, the plan could help to reshape the balance of power in Washington. Right now, Democrats control six of Virginia’s 11 congressional seats. Under the new maps, Democrats could take over 10 of the 11 districts, boosting their party going into the November midterm elections.
With voter approval, the ballot measure amends Virginia’s constitution to temporarily hand over redistricting powers from a bipartisan commission to the state’s Democratic-majority General Assembly.
David Richards, chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg, said the new districts will extend into urban areas while diluting the political influence of the state’s rural communities.
“I think at the end of the day, the result is, of course, that for the South side, Central Virginia and the West part of Virginia, they are kind of losing their representation in the House because they’re all being packed into this new district, and that’s going to kind of reduce the amount of influence that part of the state has on the national level,” Richards said in an interview with The Daily Wire.
Tuesday’s vote may not be the final word. A legal challenge is currently pending before the Virginia State Supreme Court.
Political leaders across the aisle rallied their voters ahead of Tuesday’s election, including President Trump, who participated in a tele-rally with Speaker Mike Johnson Monday night.
Former President Barack Obama filmed television advertisements for the “YES” campaign, framing the vote as a way to repudiate the White House and Congressional Republicans.
“By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms,” Obama said in the video. “By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we’re counting on you.”
Virginia is the latest state to act amid an escalating redistricting race that began when Texas passed new maps favoring Republicans. California voters, at the urging of Gov. Newsom, passed a similar ballot referendum to gain five blue seats. North Carolina and Missouri have also redrawn maps for partisan purposes.
Last week, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis delayed his plans to call a special legislative session to redraw the state’s congressional maps.
A case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court could weaken or outright eliminate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which would allow red states in the South to potentially redistrict dozens of Democrats out of office. A ruling in that case is expected by the end of June.
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