On October 29, 2025, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 51 to 42 to move forward with a first step toward approving an amendment to Virginia’s Constitution to allow for a one-time adjustment of Congressional maps to counter partisan redistricting efforts in other states.
“HJ 6007 creates a narrow temporary exception allowing the Virginia General assembly to modify one or more congressional districts between the regular tenure or decennial reapportionments,” said Delegate Rodney Willett (D-58) “If another US State redraws its congressional districts mid decade for reasons other than completing the decennial redistricting or to comply with a court order.”
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The Virginia Senate held a second reading on October 30 and will take the matter up on Halloween.
Delegate Willett said if agreed to by Virginia voters in a special referendum next spring, the amendment would expire in 2030. The Virginia Redistricting Commission would still be in place to draw new maps after the next Census and this action would only apply to Congressional districts and not ones for Virginia’s legislature. Details on how it would work would come during enabling legislation next year.
Without naming a state, Willett explained that this measure is being considered due to the current national political climate.
“Our hand has been forced to come before this body with this resolution because of events, events in the country, unprecedented events in this country,” Willett said. “No one foresaw that. It’s never happened before. But we have to protect Virginia and Virginia voters and their essentially their franchisement has been threatened by what other states are doing where not in a decennial process, but in an in between process.”
Delegate Mark Obenshain (R-2) called the amendment a partisan power-grab that flies in the face of legislation in 2020 that established the Virginia Redistricting Commission.
“If the Democrats are successful in resurrecting gerrymandering in Virginia, rural voters will be silenced,” Obenshain said. “They will be disenfranchised and lose the representation they need to be heard and represented by folks who truly don’t understand and don’t care about helping them.”
Delegate Marcus Simon (D-13) said his party is responding to a power grab made by the current president who has encouraged redistricting across the country in advance of next year’s election.
“The power grab came from President Trump when he said to the legislature of Texas, I know you don’t want to, I need you to get me five seats,” Simon said. “I need you to go out there, I need you to redraw your maps to get me five seats. And then that wasn’t enough because California was gonna do something. So he said to Ohio, I need you guys to go out there and I need you to redraw your maps to get me another five or six seats. J.D. Vance went to the governor of Indiana and said, I need you to get me more. Why does he need you to get me so many seats?”
Delegate Tom Garrett (R-53), a one-term Representative from the Fifth District, noted there is legal action already against the potential amendment.
“This is subject to the laws of Virginia,” Garrett said. “So, Mr. Speaker, I hope you all enjoy this, but you are going to lose when it gets to a court of competent jurisdiction under the facts.”
According to the website Democracy Docket, a complaint and an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order were filed on October 28 and denied on October 29.
More coverage of the matter tomorrow or Saturday as the Virginia Senate takes up the matter. If you’re new to the story today, go over to Information Charlottesville to learn more.
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