Political mailer comparing Virginia Democrats’ redistricting plan to Jim Crow sparks backlash

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia politicians on both sides of the aisle are sounding off about a political mailer that compared Virginia Democrats' controversial redistricting proposal to Jim Crow-era policies.

Early voting on Virginia Democrats' mid-decade congressional redistricting proposal began on Friday, March 6. The referendum itself is set for Tuesday, April 21.

With voting now underway, Virginians are receiving political mailers regarding this referendum, encouraging them to vote one way or the other on the question. A particular mailer has garnered attention online for its use of Civil Rights Movement imagery and a comparison to Jim Crow-era policies.

Multiple 8News viewers in the Central Virginia region shared pictures of this mailer with us anonymously. Another viewer shared a screenshot of a related text they received.

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Dinwiddie County)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Dinwiddie County)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Midlothian area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Midlothian area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Nicole Durose of Richmond area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Nicole Durose of Richmond area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Richmond area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Richmond area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Henrico County)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Henrico County)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Highland Springs area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer in Highland Springs area)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer)

A political mailer issued by the Democracy and Justice PAC on the April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Anonymous 8News viewer)

A text encouraging Virginians to vote "no" on Virginia Democrats' April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Bob Kelley)

A graphic attached to a text encouraging Virginians to vote "no" on Virginia Democrats' April 21 redistricting referendum. (Photo: Bob Kelley)

"Just like Jim Crow, they want to silence your voice," one side of the mailer reads.

"Our ancestors fought to represent us," the other side of the mailer reads. "Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away."

The lower portion of the mailer, on both sides, reads: "Vote no and return your ballot immediately to ensure your voice is heard."

PREVIOUS: Virginia’s highest court says controversial redistricting proposal will go to voters as planned

Multiple Virginia Democrats and related groups have described these mailers as "absolutely appalling" and misleading, with the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus pushing back on the idea that the redistricting proposal targets Black Virginians. However, the Black former delegate behind the mailers told 8News in a statement that he feels they reflect reality, claiming the proposal would in fact disenfranchise Black voters.

How did we get here? Democrats' contested proposal

Virginia Democrats recently pushed through a bill containing a proposed new congressional map that, if approved by voters, would significantly alter the state’s existing congressional districts.

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. While Virginia Democrats see it 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.

PREVIOUS: Obama, Spanberger endorse Virginia redistricting referendum after highest court clears way for vote

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.

Virginia last saw congressional redistricting in late 2021. This current map and the proposed new map are both included below.

Virginia's congressional districts, as redistricted in 2021. (Photo: Supreme Court of Virginia)

Virginia Democrats’ proposed new congressional district map in 2026. (Courtesy of General Assembly)

While some districts look relatively similar between the two maps, the majority would see significant change if this plan is approved, with some districts seeing themselves almost entirely remade.

Virginia Democrats on the mailers: 'Not a political prop'

The back-and-forth surrounding these mailers centers around the comparisons being made to both the Civil Rights Movement and the Jim Crow era.

Democrats like Attorney General Jay Jones claim that the mailers target Black voters with "misleading" and "deceptive" claims about the proposal.

PREVIOUS: Attorney General Jay Jones issues opinion on early voting for redistricting referendum

His full statement reads as follows:

"As Virginia’s first Black Attorney General, I take very seriously the history that is being invoked in these mailers. Reports indicate that a group opposing the redistricting referendum has sent materials to Black voters that misuse imagery from the Civil Rights Movement and even invoke Jim Crow while falsely suggesting the measure threatens Black representation.

My parents and grandparents lived through the reality of Jim Crow in Virginia. They experienced firsthand what it meant when the law and the political system were used to silence Black voices. That history is not a political prop, and it should never be exploited in a misleading attempt to confuse voters.

Virginians deserve honest information about the choices before them. Invoking the pain and sacrifice of the civil rights movement while spreading misleading claims about this referendum disrespects the very people who fought to secure the right to vote and have their voices heard.”

House Speaker Don Scott (D), the first Black man to hold that position within Virginia's House of Delegates, also condemned the mailers. His statement reads, in part:

"The civil rights movement is not a prop. The blood, sacrifice and courage of those who marched, who were beaten, who died for the right to vote – that legacy belongs to all of us, and it will not be hijacked by shadowy GOP political operatives to deceive the very communities it was meant to protect.

"Make no mistake about what this referendum is. It is a direct response to what Donald Trump and Republicans have already done in states like Texas — redrawing congressional maps to give themselves more seats and avoid accountability from voters."

Former delegate behind the mailers: 'My community gets left behind'

8News learned that the PAC behind this mailer, the "Democracy and Justice PAC," is associated with Republican former delegate A.C. Cordoza. He is listed as the PAC's chairman on documents submitted to the Virginia State Board of Elections in early March.

Cordoza represented District 86 -- which is made up of Poquoson and parts of both Hampton and York County -- in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2022 to 2026. He recently lost his seat to Del. Virgil Gene Thornton, Sr. (D) during the 2025 General and Special Election.

8News reached out to Cordoza, who is a Black man, about these mailers via phone. He reaffirmed their messaging, describing politicians' actions surrounding the redistricting proposal as "quite shameful."

“Richmond politicians have ripped apart majority minority districts in order to increase the number of white representatives from northern Virginia," Cordoza said in a statement provided via email. "Dan Helmer, Don Beyer and others diluted African American vote strength to increase their own power. Plain and simple, some things never change. They help themselves, my community gets left behind."

How would demographics actually shift under this proposal?

Data provided by the Virginia General Assembly outlines how racial demographics would shift if this redistricting proposal were to be approved. 8News compared this data to the most recent demographic data from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).

Based on that data, 6 of Virginia's 11 congressional districts would see their Black population rise under this new proposal, while five would see it decrease. Notably, the majority of these population shifts amount to less than 3%.

However, one district in particular -- that being District 7, which is currently comprised of several Piedmont region localities -- would see a loss of 12.95% of its Black population.

District 7 is one of the several congressional districts that would see itself changed significantly by redistricting. Below are images of the current and proposed District 7. The one on the left shows the current District 7, colored in gray, while the one on the right shows the proposed District 7, colored in pink.

(Photos: Supreme Court of Virginia, Virginia General Assembly)

Meanwhile, the largest gains in Black population would be seen in District 1, District 6 and District 8, with a 5.12%, 5.22% and 6.97% increase, respectively.

All three of these districts would be almost entirely remade under this proposal, with District 1 geographically shrinking, District 6 shifting more towards the center of the state and District 8 increasing substantially in size.

Notably, when including all nonwhite people, the majority of the proposed new districts have a minority population of 40% or higher.

This plan is in voters' hands -- but subject to court approval

Even if this proposal is approved at the ballot box, it still faces an uphill battle to actually be implemented, as it is stuck in complicated legal proceedings.

In addition to a Tazewell County judge blocking the proposal twice, the Republican National Committee (RNC), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and two GOP congressmen have also filed a lawsuit against it.

When first blocking the proposal in January, the Tazewell judge said that Virginia Democrats had violated procedural rules when they added the proposal to the 2024 Special Session of the General Assembly. As a result, any actions taken to advance the plan would be deemed illegal, per the judge.

The Tazewell judge then contested the language set to be used on referendum ballots in a second challenge to the proposal in February.

This language, as laid out in the related legislation, reads as follows:

“Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

The Tazewell judge described this language — particularly the phrase “restore fairness” — as misleading, which would violate Virginia’s constitution.

Even so, the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled that the April 21 referendum should still be held, acting under the principle that courts should generally not block an election.

Should voters ultimately choose to strike down the proposal on April 21, then all court proceedings would be dismissed. If they approve it, the courts would then take any appropriate actions to resolve the legal concerns the proposal faces.

For all of our coverage on Virginia Democrats’ mid-decade congressional redistricting proposal, click here.