‘Unprecedented Times:’ Virginia Democrats Defend Redistricting Referendum as Early Voting Begins

As early voting began Friday for Virginia’s closely watched redistricting referendum, Democratic leaders pushed back against claims that the proposal would open the door to future partisan map-drawing, arguing instead that the measure represents a temporary defensive response to what they describe as a national Republican redistricting effort encouraged by President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters on a Zoom call Friday, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., U.S. Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, and Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, emphasized the constitutional amendment before voters would grant the General Assembly limited authority to redraw Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, and only if Republican-led states move ahead with mid-decade redistricting absent a court order.

The referendum, which voters will decide on April 21, comes after the Supreme Court of Virginia this week cleared the way for the vote to proceed by lifting a lower-court injunction that had temporarily halted preparations for the election.

Democrats say the amendment would not permanently alter Virginia’s redistricting system, noting that the state’s existing constitutional provisions requiring a nonpartisan process would remain in place for the next cycle in 2031.

“This is a one-time effort for mid-decade redistricting to counter the tyranny that Donald Trump has unleashed,” Kaine said during the Zoom call with reporters.

“But the provision about nonpartisan redistricting stays in the Constitution for 2031, and henceforth, it’s not removed, and it would reactivate again after this simple effort to play defense against Donald Trump’s tyranny.”

The proposal stems from legislation passed for the second time earlier this year by Virginia Democrats that would allow lawmakers to adjust congressional district lines ahead of the 2026 elections if Republican-controlled states redraw their maps to gain seats in the U.S. House.

Supporters argue the measure is designed to preserve Democratic competitiveness if GOP-led states pursue mid-decade redistricting. Critics, including many Republicans, say it undermines Virginia’s commitment to independent redistricting and could set a precedent for future partisan mapmaking.

Democrats, however, say the key distinction is that Virginia voters, not politicians, will decide whether to authorize the change.

“The difference between what Virginia is doing and what these red states are doing is that they’re giving this to the voters to decide,” Kaine said. “President Trump in the red states is using backroom deals to rewrite maps to his favor.”

Kaine repeatedly framed the referendum as a response to what he described as a broader effort by Trump and Republican allies to reshape congressional maps outside the normal decennial redistricting cycle.

“The nation saw, in a very dramatic way, on January 6, 2021, a tyrannical president trying to steal away the peaceful transfer of power after losing an election,” Kaine said, arguing that similar tactics are now emerging in redistricting fights.

“Virginia wouldn’t be true to ourselves if we allowed tyranny to go unanswered,” he added.

McClellan said the proposal was drafted to prevent routine mid-cycle map changes and would only take effect in response to extraordinary circumstances.

“The constitutional amendment itself says that what triggers this redistricting is other states doing it, absent a court order, which is unprecedented, particularly when a president has ordered them to do so,” the Richmond Democrat said during the Zoom call.

McClellan added that the referendum gives Virginians the chance to decide whether to respond to those efforts.

“Unlike Texas and Missouri, it will be the voters of Virginia to decide whether that moves forward,” she said.

The plan includes a potential congressional map Democrats have described as a “10-1 proposal,” which could favor Democratic candidates in 10 of Virginia’s 11 districts. The new configuration could help offset potential Republican gains elsewhere if GOP-controlled legislatures redraw their maps to secure additional House seats.

Republicans, who currently hold five of the state’s 11 congressional seats, have argued the proposal undermines the independent redistricting system Virginia adopted through a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020. They contend Democrats are attempting to change the rules mid-cycle for political advantage.

Democrats acknowledge the move departs from Virginia’s current process but say the political environment is far from typical.

“The precedent is being set in unprecedented times,” Price, who chairs the House Privileges and Elections Committee, said during the Zoom call. “I’ve never in my life heard a sitting president call for five more seats or for states to find more seats.”

Price said she hopes the situation remains temporary and that Virginia will ultimately return to its standard redistricting system.

“I hope to never have to vote on anything like this ever again, because that would mean we have gotten back to democracy,” she said. “We have beaten back fascism, and that we can all go back to normal, but right now, what we are experiencing is not normal, and should not be treated as normal.”

Democratic leaders also emphasized that Virginia’s referendum process gives voters direct control over the decision, contrasting it with what they describe as closed-door negotiations in other states.

“Here in Virginia, the voters will decide,” Price said.

The campaign surrounding the referendum has drawn national attention.

On Thursday, former President Barack Obama endorsed the measure and urged Virginians to support it, while Gov. Abigail Spanberger has also backed the proposal.

Brian Cannon, an advisory board member of the group No Gerrymandering Virginia, criticized national Democratic support for the measure, saying, “President Obama didn’t lift a finger to help Virginia pass fair redistricting in 2020. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’s now defending a plan that would bring gerrymandering back.”

Cannon argued in an email that “silencing voters is anti-democratic no matter who does it, and it sets a dangerous precedent for Virginia,” adding that “Virginians still oppose this plan — which is why its supporters are spending millions of dollars and rolling out celebrity endorsements to try to sell a bad deal.”

For now, Democrats say the focus is on encouraging voters to participate during the early voting period leading up to the April 21 election.

“These are tough times,” Kaine said. “Virginia, true to being a state that is pledged, we will always stand against tyranny, has a chance to do it on April 21.”

by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury

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