Virginia redistricting vote could hand Democrats up to 4 more House seats

Virginia voters backed a constitutional amendment Tuesday, handing the state's Democratic-led legislature authority to redraw congressional districts — a change that could yield up to four additional House seats for Democrats in November's midterm elections, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. The Virginia Supreme Court is now weighing whether the plan is valid, a ruling that could render the referendum result meaningless.

The vote intensifies the national redistricting war as both parties race to control the narrowly divided U.S. House ahead of November. Republicans are pursuing parallel gains in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, where the party believes it can claim as many as nine additional seats.

Democrats currently hold six of Virginia's 11 U.S. House seats. Under the newly drawn maps, the party could claim as many as 10 total, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger framed the referendum as a direct counter to Republican redistricting efforts nationwide. "pushing back against what other states have done in trying to stack the deck for Donald Trump in those congressional elections," Spanberger said during an online rally last week, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Five of the redrawn districts are anchored in northern Virginia, a reliable Democratic base. The General Assembly, controlled by Democrats, drew the new maps — bypassing the state's existing bipartisan redistricting commission. Democrats also flipped 13 state House seats in Virginia last year.

The legal landscape remains contested. The Virginia Supreme Court is weighing the amendment's validity after Circuit Court Judge Jack Hurley Jr. of Tazewell County ruled the redistricting process was procedurally illegal — a ruling that, if affirmed by the high court, would nullify Tuesday's vote.

Democrats also have their eye on California, where the party believes it could pick up as many as five additional House seats, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Under current law, redistricting authority is scheduled to return to Virginia's bipartisan commission in 2030, following the next decennial census.

With November approaching and the Virginia Supreme Court's ruling still pending, the fate of the new maps — and the balance of power in the U.S. House — remains unresolved.