Overview
- Virginia’s statewide referendum, which goes to voters Tuesday, would temporarily let the Democratic-led legislature replace the bipartisan redistricting commission and redraw the state’s 11 U.S. House districts through 2030.
- The proposed map could shift the current 6–5 split to as many as a 10–1 Democratic advantage, a change that could shape who controls the U.S. House in November.
- Roughly $93–100 million has poured into the fight, and about 95% came from nonprofits that do not disclose donors, including nearly $40 million for “yes” from House Majority Forward and millions for “no” from a group linked to Peter Thiel.
- Republicans filed lawsuits in Tazewell County to block the process, and the Virginia Supreme Court let the vote proceed while scheduling a review after the election that could invalidate any new map.
- More than one million early and absentee ballots are already in and recent polls show only a slim edge for “yes,” as national figures from Barack Obama to Glenn Youngkin and Speaker Mike Johnson press their cases.