Virginians Prepare To Vote on Redistricting Amendment as Polls Show Close Race

Virginia voters will decide Tuesday whether to either approve or reject a proposed constitutional amendment to allow the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw congressional maps in order to flip as many as four seats currently held by Republicans. As of Sunday, more than 1.2 million ballots have already been cast. Virginia Democrats kicked off the redistricting process last year after President Trump instigated an arms race in Republican-led states to change congressional district lines in the middle of the decade. So far, eight states have either redrawn district lines or are in the process of doing so. The Virginia process has been less straightforward than other states’ map-drawing efforts, however. In order to temporarily negate the state’s nonpartisan redistricting constitutional amendment, the legislature had to pass an amendment during the 2025 legislative session, and then pass the amendment again earlier this year. Now, voters will have the final say on whether or not that amendment should be approved. The statewide campaign to redraw congressional lines has drawn big names — President Obama stars in a television advertisement on behalf of the Democrats’ gerrymandering push, while House Speaker Mike Johnson and popular former governor, Glenn Youngkin, have been on the trail urging voters to reject changes to the commonwealth’s constitution. “Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, but right now, they are under threat,” Mr. Obama says in a direct-to-camera ad now running on the airwaves. He calls on Virginians to “level the playing field” after Republicans gerrymandered other states in order to benefit Mr. Trump. “This is the responsible thing to do. It’s also a temporary measure. After the 2030 census, Virginia will go back to a system that lets a bipartisan redistricting commission redraw the maps,” the former president says. “We can’t afford two more years of unchecked power and zero accountability in Washington.”Mr. Johnson rallied with Virginia’s five Republican representatives earlier this month, telling voters to get out and block the amendment from passing. If it is adopted, ten of the state’s 11 congressional districts would likely be represented by a Democrat. “This is not a 10-one state,” Mr. Johnson said. “If you’re watching at home, that’s what they’re trying to do. They want to redraw the maps so that there’s 10 Democrats and only one Republican representing the state of Virginia. It’s wrong. This is not a deep-blue state.”The race to change the state’s constitution has not only attracted big names, but also hoovered up large sums of money. In total, more than $100 million has been raised for campaigns to support or oppose the redistricting amendment. According to polls, Democrats hold a slight advantage on the gerrymandering question, though it is still a tight race. Two surveys released in recent weeks show the “yes” vote leading by just single digits, though barely outside the margin of error. One poll from State Navigate shows the “yes” vote at 51 percent while the “no” vote sits at 45 percent, with a margin of error of 3.7 points. Another survey from the Washington Post and the Schar School shows “yes” leading with 52 percent among likely voters while the “no” vote garners 47 percent. That poll has a margin of error of 3.4 points.“It’s a close race and we expected that from the beginning, but there’s a lot of momentum to ensure that there’s a ‘yes’ vote to stop the MAGA power grab,” the House minority leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, said at a press conference last week. “As we’ve maintained from the very beginning: We are not gonna let Donald Trump steal this midterm election.”Even if Virginians do decide to amend their state’s constitution, legal hurdles await Democrats. A state court previously ruled that the legislative process by which Democrats got this amendment to a statewide vote was illegal, though the Supreme Court of Virginia temporarily stayed that ruling so that the election could take place. Republican groups have said they will continue fighting in court if the amendment does pass.

Virginians Prepare To Vote on Redistricting Amendment as Polls Show Close Race

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