Virginia voters approve redistricting overhaul to redraw congressional maps...

Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment on Tuesday that would allow the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms. The amendment will temporarily give Virginia’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly the authority to redraw congressional districts, overriding the current bipartisan redistricting system adopted after the 2020 census. The measure will also allow lawmakers to implement a new map through 2030, when control would revert to the state’s independent redistricting commission. The vote came amid a broader national battle over redistricting, with both parties seeking to gain an advantage in the fight for control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Control of the House is expected to be highly competitive in 2026, and even a handful of additional seats could determine which party holds the majority. If Democrats are able to gain seats in Virginia through redistricting, it could improve their chances of reclaiming or maintaining control of the chamber. The Democratic-backed plan will reshape Virginia’s 11 congressional districts in a way that may favor Democrats for several currently Republican-held seats. The current map gives Democrats a 6-5 edge, while the proposed redraw could expand that advantage to 10-1. The shift would mark a significant mid-decade redistricting change. Typically, congressional maps are redrawn only once every 10 years, after the census, but Virginia lawmakers have been seeking to make an exception in response to political developments elsewhere. Prominent Democrats, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger and former President Barack Obama have backed the measure. Many Democrats argue the change is necessary to counter Republican-led redistricting efforts in states such as Texas, where new maps were adopted in 2025 to strengthen GOP control. “Republicans expected that Democrats were just going to take a step back in the face of this national gerrymandering scheme that was unprecedented in scope that Donald Trump launched last July,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told MS NOW on Sunday. We’re not taking a step back.” “Republicans may have started this gerrymandering battle. We’ve made clear from the very beginning that on behalf of the American people, Democrats would finish it,” he added.