Ahead of a special election on Tuesday, Virginia Republicans blasted a proposed constitutional amendment in their state that could soon cost them their congressional seats, calling the effort the most “unfair” of a string of redrawn maps across the country.
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., believes it’s a sentiment shared by voters.
“I was with a group of Virginia Watermen this morning from across the state and they’re [feeling] the same way. They say ‘no, we’re not going to let them turn us into a state that’s only governed by a portion of the state,’” Wittman said.
The Virginia redistricting effort, which requires a statewide vote to go into effect, follows similar shakeups in Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah.
But unlike many of those other states that already have a distinct party advantage one way or another, Virginia’s GOP blasted what they saw as a drastic power swing they say misrepresents the state’s purple voter base.
If successful, the new maps would temporarily turn the current 6-5 congressional split to a 10-1 advantage for Democrats by stretching the borders of traditionally Republican areas across Democratic strongholds. The state’s normal process, conducted by a nonpartisan redistricting commission, would go back into effect in 2030 at the next U.S. census.
With up to four more seats, Democrats hope to recapture control of the House of Representatives, where a razor-thin majority favors Republicans — for now.
The GOP holds a 217-213 advantage in the chamber.
Democrats supporting the idea argue that Virginia is key to balancing out Republican-led gerrymandering efforts that began in Texas, describing the push as purely retaliatory.
“Virginia’s redistricting referendum gives voters the power to respond to a president who says he’s ‘entitled’ to more GOP seats in Congress before Americans vote in the midterms [and] to efforts in other states to give those seats to him,” Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger said in a post after teeing up the vote last month.
Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin argued that the state’s current makeup more accurately reflects Virginia’s population.
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“We have fair maps today that represent Virginians, and what this constitutional amendment would mean is that we go to the most unfair maps in America, and therefore, ‘no’ is the right vote,” Youngkin said.
Although the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that politically favoring one party through the design of state’s district is constitutional, the practice, better known as gerrymandering, has been banned in Virginia since a constitutional referendum in 2020.
However, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the state could temporarily amend its constitution to allow the implementation of new maps.
“’Do you want to restore fairness in elections temporarily?’” Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said, referencing the phrasing of the referendum.
“It’s insane how that question is worded. So wrong how it’s written. But here we are. This is our chance to use our voice and our vote. And that’s very powerful. But the ball is in our court.'”
Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., argued that undoing that prohibition now would be a mistake — even if it’s temporary in nature.
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“Virginians spoke in 2020; you know what they said? By a supermajority, they said no to gerrymandering. They said: ‘Let’s have a bipartisan determination of these districts.’ And by the way, they’ve been shown to be the most bipartisan districts across the United States,” Wittman said.
Polls open in Virginia at 6:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.
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