Virginia Supreme Court Rejects Democratic Gerrymandering Referendum

The court rejected the proposal, preventing it from appearing on the ballot. com reported that the decision could shift as many as four seats away from Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. The referendum had sought to amend the redistricting process following earlier map adjustments.

State officials had advanced the measure as a way to let voters decide on new standards for drawing district lines.

Virginia uses a specific process for drawing congressional and legislative districts after each census. Democrats had pushed the referendum after courts and officials reviewed maps previously used in elections. The rejected proposal would have altered how those boundaries are set. By striking it down, the court maintained the existing legal framework for redistricting in the state.