Old Dominion Democrats are facing backlash for pushing a radical redistricting effort, which even they are admitting is “unfair.” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) confessed in an interview that the Democratic-dominated General Assembly’s proposed congressional district maps, which would strip Republicans of four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and likely give Democrats 10 of the state’s 11 seats, are a tough sell for Virginians, who have already started voting in a controversial referendum on the matter.
“It’s not a done deal by any means,” the congressman said. “We have to effectively make the case that even though this seems unfair in Virginia, it’s totally fair for America, for those of us who believe that taking back the House is the most significant thing we can do to stop Donald Trump.”
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The Daily Wire also reported that Virginia’s General Registrars and Elections Office advised local officials not to post the proposed maps publicly. The office said that it “recommends posting only the referendum question and explanations and directing interested individuals to the General Assembly site for information related to maps.” The “referendum question” cited, which appears on ballots in the referendum, asks Virginians to “restore fairness” to the state’s congressional maps.
A Heritage Action survey found that most Virginians see through the Democrats’ rhetoric and do not support the redistricting push. Overall, 61% of Virginia voters (including 56% of Republicans, 57% of Democrats, and 69% of Independent voters) should not “disproportionately favor one political party over another,” and 76% of voters (including 81% of Republicans, 70% of Democrats, and 78% of Independent voters) agreed that gerrymandering should not be permitted.
While 74% of polled voters shared their preference for congressional maps drawn by the state’s constitutionally-mandated bipartisan redistricting commission over partisan-made maps, only 43% said that they would vote against the Democrats’ redistricting bid; 26% reported that they intend to support the measure, and 30% are unsure. A majority (54%) of Virginia voters also agreed that the maps proposed by the General Assembly will “silence” many Virginia voters, including 26% who strongly agreed.
“It’s very possible that this can be defeated,” pollster Stefani Buhajla said, according to The Daily Signal. “If you look at the numbers right now, Republicans are unified against it,” she added. While a majority (52%) of Republican voters said that they oppose the redistricting measure, 26% said that they would vote in favor of the redistricting, and 22% said that they are unsure. Buhajla suggested that the Republicans who signaled either support or uncertainty on the matter have likely been confused by the “restore fairness” ballot language. Overall, 50% of voters said that the ballot language is confusing, a feature Buhajla said is “intentional.” “I think that’s really unfortunate that voters are being tricked,” she said. “Nobody wants things to be unfair.”
Earlier this week, Axios Richmond reported that early voting turnout is surprisingly strong in GOP localities, with voters in the current congressional districts held by Republicans casting tens of thousands of ballots. The Virginia Mercury similarly reported that up to 15% of registered voters in Republican strongholds had already cast their ballots, outpacing Democrat-aligned areas, especially in Northern Virginia. Early voting in the referendum began on March 8. The final say to vote on the measure is April 21.
LifeNews Note: S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.
