Virginia Democrats won’t be able to redraw the state’s congressional map as part of a national redistricting fight with Republicans.
The Supreme Court of Virginia issued a ruling Friday that blocks Democrats’ attempt to redraw the state’s congressional map as part of a national redistricting fight with Republicans.
The decision overturns the results of last month’s special election that would have allowed Virginia Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map to help them win up to four more seats in the US House of Representatives.
In a statement, Democratic Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott said he respected the court’s decision and pledged to keep “keep fighting for a democracy where voters – not politicians – have the final say.”
“We gave this decision to the voters – exactly where it belongs – and they spoke loud and clear,” Scott said. “They voted YES because they wanted to fight back against the Trump power grab.”
Virginia Democrats’ redistricting effort came after President Donald Trump successfully pressured Republicans in Republican-led states like Texas and North Carolina to redraw their congressional districts.
Redistricting usually occurs at the end of the decade to reflect census data but Republicans pursued redistricting in the middle of the decade to help the GOP in this fall’s midterms.
Democrats pursued redistricting in Virginia as a way of offsetting the Republican redistricting of other states, which has continued in recent weeks.
Florida redrew its maps to boost Republicans, and following the US Supreme Court’s ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act, several Republican-led states in the South have either redrawn their maps or said they plan to ahead of the midterm elections.
The Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling puts Republicans in a much better position to keep control of Congress, even as Trump and the GOP’s approval ratings collapse.
