Virginia Redistricting Plan to Move Forward; GOP Enraged
Courtesy: 13 News Now
By: Alvin H. Green IV
Virginia Democrats in the House of Delegates plan to counter aggressive Republican Gerrymandering in other states by drawing a new congressional map.
Virginia has joined the likes of Illinois and California by introducing a plan to redistrict their state. If the move is approved by the state legislature this year, and again in early 2026 by a General Assembly vote, the proposed plan would see Democrats then gain 2-3 more seats in the House of Representatives.
The new plan would also require altering Virginia’s constitution slightly, as it established an independent redistricting commission in early 2020. Senate and House Republicans jointly filed a lawsuit in the Tazewell County Circuit Court, claiming the redistricting silenced the votes of the people who voted for the commission.
Democrats in Virginia claim that the plan is to safeguard the country’s democracy, and not to seize power, as more and more Republican-leaning states have been attempting to smother the votes of Democrats and minorities by redistricting to claim more GOP seats in the house and Senate.
“We only [amend the state Constitution] in the most extraordinary circumstances, and I think those are before us today,” said Virginia State Delegate Rodney Willett.
The move in VA. comes just after North Carolina passed a Trump-approved congressional map that diminishes black voices to gain another GOP seat. A Republican redistricting plan in Texas could net the GOP as many as five Congressional seats.
Many Republican Delegates have described the redistricting in Virginia as illegal, dangerous, and a "partisan power grab,” to quote Del. Chris Obenshain from Montgomery. The Trump Administration is also pushing for lawmakers in Iowa and Florida to redistrict in the GOPs favor as well.
“Redistricing is a normal part of any state’s lifecycle,” said first-year criminal justice major, Brandon Brown. “But what the Republicans are doing across the country isn’t redistricting, it’s consolidating power. If we want to call ourselves a democracy next election, we need to start pushing back.”
The success of the Democrat’s plan is also reliant on who becomes the next Governor of Virginia. To the luck of the party, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger is currently leading against her opponent, Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears by around ten points according to a poll by Roanoke College.
We will keep you updated on both the redistricting and the gubernatorial race as they proceed.
