Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly are using the budget bill (HB29) as the vehicle to present a proposed map intended to give them a significant partisan advantage in ten out of Virginia’s eleven Congressional Districts.
If the map survives a legal challenge and voters agree in an April 21 special election to allow the gerrymander, Charlottesville and Albemarle County would no longer be in the 5th District but would instead be in a seahorse-shaped 6th District that would stretch into southwest Virginia and would include the the town of Blacksburg and the cities of Salem, Staunton and Harrisonburg.
One of the data tables includes a tabulation of how votes would have gone per district if the proposed boundaries had been in place for the 2025 statewide race. All but the proposed 9th district had an overwhelming majority for Democratic candidates.
Currently Virginia’s Congressional District consists of six Democrats and five Republicans. The current map was drawn by two special masters appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court after a bipartisan redistricting commission failed to come to consensus after the U.S. 2020 Census.
Analysis from the Virginia Public Access Project based on the 2025 race finds that five of the current eleven districts would be considered “Strong Democratic” with another two as “Leans Democratic”, two as “Leans Republican”, one as “Strong Republican” and one as competitive.
When the 2025 votes are applied to the new map, five are “Strong Democratic” and another five would be “Leads Democratic.” Only the 9th District would be “Strong Republican.”
The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia has also provided analysis and concluded only the 9th District would be a safe seat for Republicans but Democrats might not pick up all ten seats.
“The map would not be guaranteed to produce such an outcome, even if 2026 is a good year for Democrats,” writes the Center’s Kyle Kondik and J Miles Coleman. “Specifically, the proposal maintains VA-2, held by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R), as one of the nation’s premier swing seats while also creating another competitive, though slightly Democratic-leaning, district covering a constellation of college towns in Central Virginia.
Today, Governor Abigail Spanberger signed four bills related to three Constitutional amendments that definitely passed the General Assembly in two sessions as well as a fourth setting a vote for the redistricting amendment on April 21.
One of the issues in the appeal pending before the Virginia Supreme Court is whether the first reading of the redistricting amendment last fall was valid. In late January, Tazewell County Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. ruled it was not. The Court of Appeals has sent the case straight on to the Virginia Supreme Court.
The other three Constitutional amendments will be on the ballot on November 3. They are to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage, guarantee a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, and guaranteeing the right to vote.
After the signatures, Spanberger sent out a press statement that said voters
“Virginia voters deserve the opportunity to respond to the nationwide attacks on our rights, freedoms, and elections. Everyone deserves the freedom to marry who they love — and Virginia’s Constitution should affirm that all families are welcome in our Commonwealth. Women in Virginia deserve the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without politicians dictating their choices. When Virginians have paid their debt to society, they deserve to regain their right to vote. And when other states take extreme measures, I trust Virginia voters to respond.”
A senior advisor to Representative Kiggans sent a statement to the Virginia Political Newsletter that called the redistricting illegal.
“It’s the antithesis of everything Governor Spanberger ran on mere months ago,” said Danny Laub. “She is a liar and incompetent, but worse she is beholden to the radical, far-left Democrats who want one-party rule and to ensure that half of all Virginians have no voice.”
The language echoes recent comments made by President Donald Trump, a Republican who ordered states run by his party to redraw Congressional maps in their favor.
To learn more about the potential redistricting in Virginia and how it affects your district, visit the Virginia Public Access Project. You can also download the shape files yourself if you’re handy with GIS.
Before you go: Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the February 6, 2026 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack or send in a contribution. More information on that last one coming soon! You can also become a sponsor. How? I still need to complete the media-kit but drop me a line!
The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things!
Discover more from Information Charlottesville
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
