Virginia Democrats Pass Redistricting Measure, Send Constitutional Amendment Question to Voters

Virginia Democrats cleared the final legislative hurdle on Jan. 16 for a proposed constitutional amendment that would let lawmakers redraw Virginia’s congressional map mid-decade, sending the question to voters in a spring special election once scheduled. The state Senate approved the measure, 21–18.

The vote came a day after Virginians for Fair Elections, a group backing the amendment, launched a public campaign urging voters to back the proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly, under limited conditions, to redraw Virginia’s congressional map outside the normal census cycle.

The ballot push came quickly upon Democrats taking control of the state legislature this week. Democrats will also retake the governorship on Saturday upon the swearing in of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger.

The Virginia Legislative Information System shows the House of Delegates passed the measure on Jan. 14 with a vote of 62–33 before quickly moving to the Senate for passage on Friday. Virginia Democrats, who currently control six of the state’s 11 districts, are hoping they could net an additional three or four seats through the process, according to Democracy Docket, though a final map has yet to be released to the public.

HJ4 proposes amending Article II, Section 6 of the Virginia Constitution to give the General Assembly explicit authority to “modify one or more congressional districts” after adoption of a decennial reapportionment law, but before the next decennial census, if another state redraws its congressional districts mid-decade for reasons other than completing decennial redistricting or complying with a court order to remedy an unlawful map.

Any map change would take effect immediately. The amendment keeps current map-drawing requirements in place, including compact and contiguous districts and compliance with federal voting rights protections. The authority would be limited to changes made between Jan. 1, 2025, and Oct. 31, 2030—and could be used only if another state redraws its congressional map mid-decade during the same window.

The measure would still need voter approval in a statewide referendum.

Republicans raised objections when the idea first surfaced last fall, including criticism that mid-decade redistricting would be used for partisan advantage.

This week, the state Republican Party stated on X, “Democrats are trying to give themselves control of 91 percent of the seats with only 50 percent of the vote.”

“After 65.7 percent of Virginians said they wanted fair maps and to get politicians OUT of the business of drawing partisan maps. The VRC Amendment already leveled the playing field. Now Virginia Democrats are trying to unfairly tilt it in their favor.”

Supporters have framed the proposal as a temporary response to what they describe as a national redistricting escalation. A group backing the amendment—Virginians for Fair Elections—said on its website that “free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy—and right now, they’re under threat.”