(The Center Square) – Virginia officials, lawmakers and advocacy groups responded Tuesday after voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing lawmakers to redraw congressional districts ahead of the next census.
With all precincts in, the Virginia Department of Elections ruled the yes votes a winner 51.5%-48.6% from more than 3 million cast. The totals, still pending mailed votes counted by noon Friday, on Wednesday afternoon were 1,575,288-1,486,229.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger said voters “approved a temporary measure” and emphasized the state will return to its bipartisan redistricting process after the 2030 census. Voters will elect state senators to four-year terms in 2027 and delegates to two-year terms in 2027 and 2029.
“Virginia voters have spoken,” Spanberger said, “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.”
She reiterated commitment to ensuring the redistricting commission resumes its role in the next cycle, though Spanberger’s only term as governor will end Jan. 12, 2030 – months before the census is taken, and more than year before the commission is scheduled to do the process.
Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones said the outcome reflected voter participation across the state and praised election officials.
“My office stands ready to defend the will of the voters and enforce our laws,” Jones said.
Democratic leaders framed the result as a response to national redistricting efforts.
“Fairness won. Accountability won,” said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who said voters acted to ensure congressional maps “reflect communities, not protect incumbents.”
Del. Dan Helmer, a Democratic candidate for Congress, said the vote showed Virginians “spoke loud and clear” and called the result a rejection of efforts to influence elections through redistricting.
Opposition groups and Republican leaders, however, criticized both the process and the outcome.
House GOP Leader Terry Kilgore said the results were “not unexpected” and said the process was shaped by “misleading ballot language and a massive spending advantage.”
“Serious legal questions remain,” Kilgore said. “Those questions have not been resolved, and they now move where they belong: to the courts.”
No Gerrymandering Virginia, a bipartisan coalition opposing the amendment, pointed to the narrow margin as evidence of continued resistance.
“Even in defeat, this is a powerful message,” said Brian Cannon, an advisory cochairman for the group.
The Jefferson Forum, another group opposing the measure, raised concerns about voter confusion and outside spending, calling the outcome “a campaign driven more by confusion than clarity.”
The amendment allows the General Assembly to adopt new congressional maps before 2031. Lawmakers have already passed a map – shifting Democrats 6-5 representation over Republicans to potentially 10-1 in the U.S. House of Representatives – that is now facing legal challenges.
More than $111 million was spent on the measure, making it one of the most expensive ballot efforts in state history.
Legal challenges tied to the new map are ongoing, with additional filings expected in the Virginia Supreme Court.
