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BREAKING NEWS: Virginia votes YES on plan to redraw congressional districts
Breaking down Tuesday's special election in Virginia and what it means for future elections for Democrats and Republicans.
WASHINGTON - Virginians voted on Tuesday to pass a constitutional amendment that will redraw the state's congressional district map ahead of November's midterm elections.
Virginians approve redistricting effort
What we know:
The Associated Press called the race at 8:49 p.m., with approximately 50.3% voting in favor of the new amendment.
Polls closed at 7 p.m.
RELATED: Virginia redistricting vote: What to know about Tuesday’s special election
Virginia leaders, candidates react
What they're saying:
Statement from Governor Abigail Spanberger:
Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress. Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box.
I understand the urgency of winning congressional seats as a check on this President, and I look forward to campaigning with candidates across the Commonwealth working to earn Virginians’ trust — and their votes. Looking forward, I remain committed to ensuring Virginia's bipartisan redistricting commission gets back to work after the 2030 census, and to protecting the process Virginians voted to create.
Statement from Attorney General Jay Jones:
The people of the Commonwealth showed up at the polls and voted in support of the constitutional amendment. I want to thank the dedicated election officials and volunteers for their tireless commitment and service to administering fair and secure elections in our Commonwealth. My office stands ready to defend the will of the voters and enforce our laws.
Dorothy McAuliffe, candidate for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, released the following statement:
Dan Helmer, Democratic delegate and candidate for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, released the following statement:
Virginians spoke loud and clear tonight: Donald Trump’s attacks on our democracy will not go unanswered. I’m incredibly proud of my team and of the thousands of Virginians who knocked doors and made phone calls to make this victory happen. This November, we can send proven progressive champions to DC to fight to restore our Constitution and end the rampant corruption of Donald Trump - leaders who can not only throw a punch against MAGA Republicans, but land one. That’s what I’ve done in Richmond, and that’s the Representative I’ll be in Washington.
What does the Virginia redistricting amendment do?
Dig deeper:
Currently, the power to redraw the district map lies with the Virginia Redistricting Commission. The commission gets together every 10 years to look at the latest census data and use it to determine if the map needs a makeover. The commission also handles the maps for the state Senate and House of Delegates.
The commission last convened in 2021, and will get together again in 2031. The amendment approved on Tuesday, however, lets the Virginia General Assembly go in and redraw the map before then, if another state redraws their map. But, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, six states—California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Utah—have all already altered their maps. Maryland, South Carolina and Washington have also introduced legislation that let their state legislatures do the same.
After 2030, the power to redraw the map would go back to the Redistricting Committee in 2031.
RELATED: Maryland redistricting push advances, but Senate resistance looms
The Virginia General Assembly has already approved the new map. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, the redrawing would drastically shift the state in the Democrats' favor. Their projections show that if the new map were in place during the 2024 congressional election, Republicans would win just two seats, compared to five with the old map.
Virginia Supreme Court case
What's next:
Even with voters approving the amendment on Tuesday, there's still no guarantee that we'll have a new map come November. The referendum is at the center of a Virginia Supreme Court case. If the court upholds a decision from a lower court, Tuesday's "Yes" vote will be nullified.
The midterm elections are on Nov. 3, 2026.
The Source: Information in this story is from the Associated Press, Reuters, the Virginia Board of Elections, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Virginia Public Access Project and previous FOX 5 reports.