Obama urges Virginians to say ‘yes’ to controversial redistricting proposal in new ad
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Former president Barack Obama is the face of a new ad encouraging Virginians to vote "yes" on a controversial mid-decade redistricting referendum.
Early voting is already underway for the April 21 referendum on Virginia Democrats' congressional redistricting proposal. As votes start to come in, both supporters and opponents of the proposed new map are working to sway Virginians' opinions before they get to the ballot box.
On Wednesday, March 11, the YES Campaign -- otherwise known as Virginians for Fair Elections -- released a new ad in support of the proposal that features Obama, according to a press release exclusively shared with 8News.
In the ad, Obama describes a "yes" vote as the "responsible thing to do."
"Virginia, we are counting on you," he says. "Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. But you can stop them by voting 'yes' on April 21."
If the majority of Virginia voters do choose "yes," the state’s existing congressional districts would be significantly altered. Many Virginians would see their congressional district change, which means they’d be represented by — and able to vote on the future of — a different member of Congress.
This redistricting proposal has been highly controversial. Under the new map, 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts would favor Democrats at the ballot box, based on historical electoral data. Currently, Virginia has six Democratic and five Republican representatives in Congress.
While Virginia Democrats see this as an attempt to protect democracy after President Donald Trump successfully lobbied several Republican states to redraw their congressional maps to favor Republicans, Virginia Republicans see the new map as an attempt at gerrymandering, or the intentional manipulation of electoral maps to unfairly put one party in power.
“I hope that Virginians across the Commonwealth come together and just vote 'no,' and let’s have this election fair and square,” Del. Terry Kilgore (R-Scott County), the House Minority Leader, previously told 8News. “Folks don’t want Fairfax choosing who their next congressman is gonna be, or [who] their next five congressman are gonna be.”
Even if Virginians do vote in favor of this proposal at the ballot box, it still faces an uphill battle to actually be implemented, as it remains under the scrutiny of the state's legal system.
The YES Campaign's new ad will run statewide on both television and digital platforms.
"We are grateful for President Obama's leadership in this fight to level the playing field," said YES Campaign campaign manager Keren Charles Dongo in the release. "Virginians can now hear directly from the president they trust about how a 'yes' vote can stop MAGA's power grab and make the difference for our Commonwealth and our country."
You can find the new ad here.
For all of our coverage on Virginia Democrats’ mid-decade congressional redistricting proposal, click here.
