Monday, January 19, 2026
The Virginia General Assembly has approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow state lawmakers to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts before the next census, setting up a consequential statewide referendum that could reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The measure, passed along party lines by Democratic majorities in both the House of Delegates and the Senate, does not immediately alter existing congressional maps. Instead, it asks voters to decide whether to temporarily grant the legislature authority to conduct mid-decade redistricting — a power Virginia lawmakers currently do not possess under the state constitution.
If voters approve the amendment, the General Assembly could redraw congressional districts before 2030, bypassing the standard post-census redistricting timeline. However, the authority would be both conditional and time-limited, expiring before the next decennial redistricting cycle.
A conditional change to Virginia’s redistricting rules
Under Virginia’s current constitutional framework, congressional and legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years following the U.S. Census. That process was significantly altered by voters in 2020, when Virginians approved the creation of a 16-member bipartisan redistricting commission intended to reduce partisan influence over map-drawing.
The proposed amendment would carve out a narrow exception to that system. According to legislative text and floor debates, the General Assembly would only gain mid-decade redistricting authority if other states enact congressional map changes outside the normal census cycle, allowing Virginia to respond to shifts in the national political balance.
Supporters say the contingency is critical, framing the amendment as a defensive measure rather than an open-ended expansion of legislative power. They argue that Republican-controlled legislatures in other states have already redrawn congressional maps mid-decade, potentially altering the partisan composition of the U.S. House.
Opponents, however, counter that the proposal undermines the spirit of the 2020 redistricting reforms and reopens the door to partisan gerrymandering, even if the authority is temporary.
What the amendment does?
Crucially, the amendment does not itself redraw district lines. Even if voters approve the measure, lawmakers would still need to pass separate legislation adopting a new congressional map.
Political analysts have noted that new district boundaries could, depending on how they are drawn, benefit Democrats, who currently hold six of Virginia’s 11 U.S. House seats. Some projections suggest that revised maps could strengthen Democratic prospects in additional districts. But those outcomes are speculative, not guaranteed, and would depend entirely on future legislative action.
Republican lawmakers have seized on those projections to argue that the amendment is a partisan maneuver masquerading as reform. Democrats reject that characterization, emphasizing that voters — not lawmakers — will have the final say on whether the constitutional change takes effect.
Voters to decide in 2026
Because the proposal amends Virginia’s constitution, it must clear a multi-step process. The amendment has now passed the General Assembly in two separate legislative sessions, satisfying the constitutional requirement for legislative approval.
The final step is a statewide referendum, expected to appear on the April 2026 ballot, when voters will be asked to approve or reject the change. A majority vote in favor would authorize the legislature to proceed under the amendment’s limited terms; rejection would leave the existing redistricting framework intact.
According to guidance from Virginia’s legislative branch, constitutional amendments require this direct voter approval before becoming law, reflecting the state’s emphasis on public consent for foundational changes to governance.
A broader national context
Virginia’s action comes amid an intensifying national debate over redistricting and congressional power. With control of the U.S. House often hinging on a small number of seats, both parties have increasingly turned to state-level mechanisms — including courts, commissions, and constitutional amendments — to gain strategic advantages.
The Virginia proposal stands out because it explicitly asks voters whether lawmakers should temporarily reclaim redistricting authority, rather than relying on judicial intervention or commission deadlock to trigger map changes.
As the 2026 election cycle approaches, the referendum is likely to draw significant attention — and funding — from national political organizations on both sides, transforming what is typically a low-profile constitutional question into a central battleground over representation, fairness, and political power.
