A controversial redistricting proposal narrowly won approval in Virginia on Tuesday. The referendum allows the General Assembly to temporarily redraw congressional districts ahead of the November midterms.
The proposal is aimed at helping Democrats secure more congressional seats in previously Republican-held districts. Under the new map, there are five strongly Democratic districts, five Democratic-leaning districts, and one strongly Republican district.
Voting Results
The redistricting measure won by a margin of 51.4% to 48.5%, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Only 38 of Virginia’s 133 combined counties and independent cities voted yes. However, those 38 included Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Loudoun, and Manassas.
Of the 1,615,171 total yes votes, Fairfax County contributed more than 262,800. A total of 115,280 in the county voted no.
Loudoun County added another 88,057 yes votes, and Arlington added 65,570 more.
Those large precincts dwarfed smaller areas in the state that voted against redistricting. For example, King George voted no with 7,274 votes, Accomack with 6,963 votes, Covington with 1,073, Floyd with 5,055, and Middlesex with 3,642.
What Happens Now
Republicans have filed legal challenges to the redistricting, and The Virginia Supreme Court is still weighing a case in which a Tazewell County judge ruled that the redistricting was illegal, The Associated Press reports.
Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. said Virginia lawmakers voted on the referendum before the public began casting ballots in last year’s general election. Therefore, he ruled in January that it didn’t count toward the two-step process. He also ruled that the state did not publish the amendment three months before the election, as is required by law.
If the state Supreme Court agrees with this ruling, the referendum results could be voided, though that’s unlikely, according to AP.
You can see the full redistricting map on the Virginia Department of Elections website.
Feature image, vesperstock/stock.adobe.com
