Virginia Democrats Launch Redistricting Effort

Virginia Democrats have launched a redistricting effort to redraw the state's congressional maps ahead of next year's midterm elections.

The Details: With redistricting, Democrats could add two or three more seats to the six seats they already hold in Virginia's 11 congressional districts. The Virginia state constitution would need to be amended in order for the mid-decade redistricting effort to take effect. That would require two majority votes by the state legislature, one this year and one early next year, plus a statewide referendum next year for voters to weigh in. The is a special session of the state legislature today, which was called for by Virginia state Democrats and could last a week.

Key Quote: "We're going to respond to the Trump administration, and more details will be forthcoming," said Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) when asked about Virginia Democrats' strategy.

For Context: Redistricting could have reverberations for years as Republicans and Democrats seek to nullify each other's gains in states such as Virginia, California, North Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas. Virginia would become the second state, after California, where Democrats are pushing back at the White House's effort to add Republican House seats through redistricting. In California, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called redistricting efforts a "troubling shift from democratic principles."

How The Media Covered It: Sources on the right had little coverage of yesterday's actions in Virginia, but The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) reported last week that Democrat lawmakers would convene a special session in Richmond beginning on October 28. The Washington Post (Lean Left) noted that Virginia Republicans are vowing to fight the redistricting move, saying it is a ploy to disrupt the November 4 elections for House of Delegates, governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.

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