While voters approved the new maps, the state Supreme Court, which is considering the legality of the plan, will have the final word.
ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment on April 21 that would redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map, giving Democrats an advantage.
The Associated Press called the special election for the “Yes” vote at around 8:50 p.m. ET.
The vote, as of 10:50 p.m. was 51.4 percent for “Yes” and 48.6 percent for “No,” with 96.6 percent of the votes counted.
Voters endorsed a new map drawn by the state’s Democrat-led General Assembly, bypassing a bipartisan redistricting commission. The result is a victory for Democrats who are looking to even the score with Republican states, such as Texas, that redrew their maps to add districts to favor their own party.
But the map won’t go into effect immediately, as it’s currently being challenged in the courts. The state Supreme Court is considering whether the plan is illegal.
The plan aims to give the Democratic Party 10 out of the 11 seats in the House of Representatives—a drastic shift from the current map, which is six Democratic districts and five Republican districts. The new map would last through the end of the decade.
Prominent Democrats were quick to praise the plan.
“Congratulations, Virginia! Republicans are trying to tilt the midterm elections in their favor, but they haven’t done it yet. Thanks for showing us what it looks like to stand up for our democracy and fight back,” former President Barack Obama wrote on X.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) also praised the outcome on X.
“We did it, Virginia! Tonight, we fought back against Trump’s efforts to rig congressional maps in his favor—and won. A moment of hope for Americans across the country. Sic semper tyrannis!” The phrase means “thus always to tyrants.”
Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jeff Ryer lamented the result in a statement.
“I know we are disappointed by tonight’s result,” Ryer wrote. “Evidently, a sufficient number of Virginians trusted the blatantly dishonest language the Democrats placed on the ballot to make our Commonwealth the most severely gerrymandered state in the nation.
“Now, the referendum portion of this fight is behind us. Now, we enter the phase that will be decided through litigation. We don’t know whether the Supreme Court of Virginia will rule that the General Assembly is not above the law and does not have license to violate the Constitution. For the sake of Virginia, we will hope and pray that they do.”
Virginia House GOP Leader Terry Kilgore told a state media outlet that the ballot language and Democrats’ substantial spending advantage had contributed to the result. He indicated that Republicans would turn their focus to the courts.
By Jackson Richman and Joseph Lord
