Virginia Supreme Court Greenlights April 21 Redistricting Referendum

The Virginia Supreme Court has cleared the path for a special election on April 21, allowing Virginians to vote on a constitutional amendment that could reshape the state’s congressional map before the November midterms. The Friday ruling provides a significant boost to Democrats’ efforts to counter Republican-led redistricting initiatives seen in other states. If successful, the proposed map could shift Virginia’s congressional delegation from its current split of six Democrats and five Republicans to a 10-1 Democratic advantage.While the State Supreme Court declined to immediately grant the Democrats’ appeal regarding a lower court battle, the justices wrote that the ongoing litigation has “no effect on the referendum scheduled for April 21,” effectively allowing the vote to proceed. The court said it would still hear arguments on the issue and set deadlines for submissions after the election date.Democrats interpreted the decision as judicial backing for the referendum.“Today’s order is a huge win for Virginia voters,” a spokesman for Virginians for Fair Elections, Dan Gottlieb, wrote on X. “This has always been a procedural challenge aimed at stopping voters from even having a say. The referendum proceeds, and the people of Virginia remain in charge of their own elections.”The speaker of the Virginia House, Don Scott, a Democrat, suggested the court’s willingness to let the election proceed while considering the case “tells you everything you need to know.”Republicans, who argue the redistricting is a partisan power grab, acknowledged the election would move forward but vowed to continue their legal fight. “That just shows that we’ve got to win the referendum and we got to win in court. I think we can do both,” the House minority leader, Terry Kilgore, said in a statement.The stakes are high for both parties. The national redistricting battle could determine control of the House of Representatives for the final two years of President Trump’s term. Virginia Democrats argue they are responding to GOP maneuvers in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, Republicans in Florida are eyeing their own map changes in April.The Virginia Supreme Court’s decision comes two weeks after a significant legal setback for the Democrats. On January 27, Tazewell County Circuit Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled in favor of Republicans, blocking the redistricting effort.Judge Hurley ruled that Democrats in the General Assembly failed to follow proper procedures, specifically noting that lawmakers did not vote on the amendment before the public began casting ballots in the November 2025 election and failed to publish the amendment three months prior as required by state law.Following that lower court ruling, which the Democrats have appealed, Republican leaders from the group Virginians for Fair Maps released a joint statement: “The court made clear that elections matter, notice matters and the rules apply to everyone — even those in power.”

Virginia Supreme Court Greenlights April 21 Redistricting Referendum

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