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Virginia Supreme Court Lets April Redistricting Referendum Proceed as It Fast-Tracks Appeal

Voters will decide whether to temporarily return map-drawing to lawmakers even as justices review if the amendment process complied with state rules.

Overview

  • The court cleared a statewide April 21 vote on mid-decade redistricting, with early voting set to begin March 6.
  • The ballot measure would give the General Assembly redistricting authority through the 2030 election, overriding Virginia’s bipartisan commission.
  • A Tazewell County judge had ruled the legislature’s process invalid on procedural grounds, but the high court accepted an expedited appeal and allowed the vote to go forward.
  • Under the court’s schedule, opening briefs are due March 23 with final filings by April 23, making a ruling likely after ballots are cast and leaving open the possibility the amendment could later be voided.
  • Democrats have advanced a proposed map that could produce a 10–1 delegation in their favor, prompting organized campaigns for and against the measure, including Virginians for Fair Elections in support and Virginians for Fair Maps and No Gerrymandering Virginia in opposition.