Virginia Supreme Court allows Democrats’ redistricting vote to proceed

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Supreme Court has allowed Democrats to hold a special election to place the proposed congressional map before voters in late April.

On Friday, Feb. 13, the Supreme Court agreed to allow the redistricting vote to proceed just days after the House of Delegates approved the Democrats’ House Bill 29, which includes the proposed 10D-1R congressional map.

The Supreme Court said Virginians can vote on whether to allow Democrats to move forward with their redistricting efforts, while justices must still hear Democrats' appeal to challenge a Tazewell County judge’s late January ruling.

The new order allows state lawmakers to put the state constitutional amendment before voters on April 21, letting them decide whether to allow a mid-decade redrawing of Virginia's congressional districts.

Democratic lawmakers released a new map on Thursday, Feb. 5, that would become the new congressional map.

The map is an effort to protect democracy after President Donald Trump successfully lobbied several Republican states, such as Texas and Missouri, to redraw their congressional maps to benefit Republicans.

MORE: Virginia House passes bill to adopt proposed congressional map

To gerrymander their own congressional maps, Democrats' 10D-1R congressional map would see several congressional districts change substantially, multiple new districts becoming more diverse and almost all of the new districts favoring Democrats.

For instance, under the new plan, 10 of the 11 new congressional districts would favor Democrats at the ballot box, while only one would favor Republicans.

The Tazewell judge on Jan. 27 determined Democrats' redistricting efforts were illegal and blocked the proposed constitutional amendment.

Though the litigation is ongoing, any ruling on the Democrats' appeal to a lower court's ruling will likely come after the April 21 referendum date.

If voters approve the referendum in April, the redistricting will depend on the Supreme Court's ruling on the Democrats' notice of appeal.