Virginia voters on April 21 approved a ballot measure that hands redistricting power to the Democratic-majority General Assembly, potentially giving Democrats a 10-1 edge in the state's 11 congressional seats. The 'yes' side led with 50.30% of the vote when 82% were counted, according to the Associated Press, which called the race at 8:49 p.m. local time. The outcome could flip four Republican-held seats ahead of November midterms.
Voters in Virginia narrowly backed the referendum, which amends the state constitution to temporarily shift redistricting authority from a bipartisan commission to the legislature controlled by Democrats. Currently, Democrats hold six of the state's 11 congressional seats. The new maps, if implemented, would extend into urban areas and could dilute rural influence, according to David Richards, chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg. 'I think at the end of the day... that’s going to kind of reduce the amount of influence that part of the state has on the national level,' Richards said in an interview with The Daily Wire, as first reported by POLITICO and The Daily Wire outlets confirming the results and implications.
