Virginia’s Democratic majority in the House of Delegates began the process of redrawing the Commonwealth’s congressional districts Monday. The early, procedural vote offered few specifics but gave both parties the chance to speak to the forthcoming effort.
“We’re going by today’s language in today’s constitution and today’s code, and we are fully within our right to be here” Delegate Cia Price told reporters after the House completed their first day of a special session to redraw the state’s congressional districts.
Democrats in the majority of both chambers aim to pass a constitutional amendment to begin the process of line drawing before it heads to voters next year and ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Language for the amendment, and specifics about the process or even the rest of this week are still not available. But Democrat Rodney Willet, who will carry the House’s version of the effort, said the amendment will give Virginia voters options.
“An option that could or could not be exercised, that question is actually going to be left up to the voters to vote in a referendum as to whether we’ll have redistricting or not,” Willet said.
Willet also pushed back on GOP concerns that the amendment would get rid of the bipartisan redistricting commission, approved by 2/3rds of Virginia voters in 2021.
“The commission continues on, there’s a decennial process for that and we will absolutely stick too that," he said. "This is to create, not a mandate, but an option, to do something in an extraordinary circumstance.”
Whether or not language keeping the commission stays in the Senate version of the effort remains to be seen, but the same language must pass both chambers this week, then again in 2026 before heading to the voters.
For their part, Republican Delegates tried to push procedural issues to slow the process down, but House Speaker Don Scott denied most protests until the actual amendment’s language is debated.
Republican Delegate Lee Ware did admit the problem started outside of Virginia.
“Although candor requires admitting this bad idea of mid-decade redistricting did get its 2025 launch by the president," Ware said before the chamber. "However, just because this bad idea was proposed, and even taken up by a few sister states, including North Carolina or California, is not a reason for Virginia to follow suit.”
Republican Minority Leader Terry Kilgore slammed Monday's Democrat-led process, especially the lack of language made public.
"I just want to know from our side, are we going to have a redistricting amendment come to the floor?" he told reporters. "I'm asking not just for our side, but for the public [to know as well]."
Willet suggested language for the amendment is not expected to be released until later this week.
Questions also remain as to how Virgina's future governor may impact the redistricting process.
At a rally before Monday's floor session, Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears said she opposed the idea.
"The same politicians who once celebrated the independent redistricting commission now want to abolish it, why? Because they want to control it!" Sears said.
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger's campaign failed to answer multiple requests for comment on the issue Monday. Notably Spanberger's campaign and the House Democratic Caucus received $150,000 each in political donations from the National Democratic Redistricting Committee before the session was announced last week.
When asked whether Spanberger had been consulted or involved in the redistricting scheme, Price pivoted.
“This is not a political enterprise," she said. "We are current elected officials and we’re going to do our job.”
The House gaveled out Monday evening and isn't expected to return to Richmond until Wednesday.
The Senate will reconvene Tuesday morning, though details were equally sparse in that chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell didn't have much to say about it after the first day of the special session Monday.
"We're working on it," he quipped.
They're working on it behind the scenes and, so far, not in agreement, as indicated by Senator Louise Lucas.
"Well, maybe that we've all not agreed to yet," the Democrat from Portsmouth said.
House and Senate leaders say they should come to some kind of resolution by Wednesday at the latest.
"I want to see the final draft that leadership comes up with that's agreed on with the House, Senator Lamont Bagby, a Democrat from Henrico County, said Monday evening. "We don't need a whole lot of cooks in the kitchen. We just need a good meal."
Republican Senator Mark Peake of Lynchburg says Democrats are wasting everyone's time.
"A million people have already voted, and they still haven't shown us what the constitutional amendment is."
If Democrats can pass a constitutional amendment before the election, they could conceivably pass it again next year and then send it to voters in a special statewide referendum, opening up the way for a new congressional map in time for the mid-term election next November 2026.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
