Virginia Senate passes constitutional amendment for redistricting, special election later in 2026

The Virginia state Senate on Friday passed a constitutional amendment for redistricting for a second time, with a referendum to be held later in 2026.Virginia Democrats passed the amendment, which would allow lawmakers to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional map and temporarily bypass its redistricting commission, The Hill news outlet reported. The measure would only allow lawmakers to redraw a new map by October 2030.
The amendment will go before Virginia voters in a special election later this year. Democrats are looking to hold the referendum in April. Lawmakers have signaled that voters will be able to see the proposed map before the special election, and the commonwealth’s Democratic Party is looking to release their finalized proposal at the end of January.
Virginia Democrats are considering either a 10-1 or 9-2 advantage over Republicans for the new map. The commonwealth currently has a 6-5 Democratic edge in its congressional delegation.
Last year, Texas Republicans passed a congressional map to give the GOP a 5-seat advantage in the 2026 midterm elections, which California Democrats responded to in kind.
Democratic-led Maryland might also move forward with redistricting this year, but it faces steep opposition from one of the state’s top legislative leaders.
Florida is expected to redistrict in April, after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called a special session to draw a new congressional map.

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