Virginia voters go to the polls April 21 to vote on changing the state constitution and approving a gerrymandered map. The map, a product of the Democrat-led state legislature, reduces GOP representation in the U.S. House of Representatives from five seats to one. That shift changes the current 6-5 split to 10-1 advantage for Democrats.
Talking about the new redistricting map on the “Washington Watch” program, GOP Rep. Morgan Griffith said early voting has already begun in a vote that reverses a similar 2020 referendum in which 65% of Virginians rejected gerrymandering.
Back in 2020, Virginian voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to wrestle redistricting from the state legislature and establish a nonpartisan redistricting commission.
“And here come the Democrats,” Griffith said, “and they say, ‘Let's change our constitution. Let's play political games now.’”
The proposed change to Virginia’s congressional map is also being influenced by a lopsided financial battle for campaign ads. The oddly named group “Virginians for Fair Elections” has spent approximately $20 million to convince voters to get rid of the GOP districts. Their opposition group “Virginians for Fair Maps” has spent about $1 million to fight the change.
VA voters chose Biden and bipartisan commission
The 2020 referendum really was a bipartisan effort. Official election results from six years ago show 65.7% of voters approved the nonpartisan commission in a state that also voted 54%-44% for Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
In Virginia’s statewide races last year, however, voters chose Abigail Spanberger over Winsome Earle-Sears 57%-42%.Even if Earle-Sears ran a poor campaign, which some political analysts claimed after Election Day, Spanberger won the gubernatorial race convincingly.
It a purplish state split 50-50, it's also possible Spanberger's post-election transformation into a radical leftist could help GOP turnout on the referendum.
Even in the race for Virginia attorney general, where Democrat candidate Jay Jones was on record wishing death on a Republican politician and his family, Jones won 53% of the vote to defeat the incumbent Republican, Jason Miyares.
With the future of his own 9th District in doubt, Rep. Griffith told “Washington Watch” the fate of a new state constitution depends on turnout.
“It's all about whether or not our people show up,” he concluded.
The good news for Rep. Griffith and other Republicans is liberal media outlets are describing nervous Democrats. Those current Republican congressional districts in Virginia, which are now an endangered species, are leading early voting turnout, according to an Axios story.
A similar story by NBC News says Virginia Democrats want voters to approve what the article admits is a “gerrymandered map” in a state that is more bipartisan than far-left California, where a similar ballot measure is likely to pass overwhelmingly.
The story quotes a Virginia Democrat congressman, Don Beyer. He told NBC the voters in his state must be convinced a map that “seems unfair in Virginia” is “totally fair for America.”
