The General Assembly convened Monday for a special session to begin the process to allow lawmakers to redistrict Virginia’s congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterms. Democrats – who currently have a slim majority in each chamber – say President Donald Trump started this battle when he encouraged Texas to redraw districts, while Republicans call it an “attack on democracy.”
The House of Delegates, with only Democrats voting in support, agreed to rules that allow the scope of the special session to include redistricting.
Sources told Virginia Scope that Democrats are considering amending the constitution to add a “trigger” that would allow the General Assembly to redraw the current congressional districts if other states do it first.
”Just because a bad idea was proposed and even taken up by a few of our sister states, such as North Carolina or California, is not a reason for Virginia to follow suit,” said Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, on the House floor Monday.
The race to redraw congressional districts to give one party an advantage in Congress began in Texas and is picking up steam across the country. California and North Carolina have both taken actions to redraw boundaries. Indiana’s Republican governor announced Monday that he summoned state legislators to the Capitol to take up redistricting.
Virginia’s Republican congressional delegation held a press conference in Richmond on Monday ahead of the General Assembly convening.
“We are here to be very vocal about what is about to be undertaken with this special session of the Virginia General Assembly,” said Rep. Rob Wittman, R-VA01. “This is about overturning the election results of 2020, pure and simple. They want to deny the voters desires to have a bipartisan redistricting commission.”
Virginia passed a constitutional amendment in 2020 establishing a redistricting commission comprised of lawmakers and citizens. The commission failed to reach consensus on maps in 2022, leaving it to the Virginia Supreme Court to draw the current lines.
Now in Virginia – where Democrats currently control both chambers – the majority party is considering making a move of their own.
Wittman and Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears called out Senate Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, for her past comments in support of the redistricting commission.
“This package fully encompasses the kind of reform Virginians have wanted for a long time: an equitable, transparent and bipartisan process to ensure our electoral maps are drawn fairly,” Lucas said in 2020 about the commission.
“When Trump pushed for Texas to redistrict prior to the midterms all of that went right out the window,” Lucas said in response to Republican comments Monday. “Now, with Texas, North Carolina, and Indiana gerrymandering for Republicans, it’s only reasonable for [Democrats] to respond! We will fight fire with fire.”
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said Monday that the final language of the resolution has not yet been agreed upon.
The reason for the timing of the special session — just days before a general election — has something to do with the process for amending the constitution.
To amend or repeal an amendment, the General Assembly must pass the proposal twice, with an election for the House of Delegates in between. Then the proposal goes to all Virginia voters for a referendum.
The current theory is that if lawmakers meet and vote to amend the constitution ahead of the Nov. 4 House elections, they can meet again during the legislative session in January and complete the second vote.
If both votes occur and the amendment passes identically, a referendum can be held within 90 days, per state code.
If Democrats can come together and use their slim majority in both chambers to advance an amendment, they could theoretically have time to redraw maps beginning in April, two months before congressional primary elections are scheduled to take place.
Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, told the press Monday that he is sponsoring the resolution and plans to release it Wednesday.
Willett and Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, said that the redistricting process will not include the General Assembly boundaries and will be only for congressional districts.
Senate Republicans are not giving Democrats any votes to dispel the need for the three constitutional required floor readings before the resolution can receive consideration for passage.
As a result, the Senate has to meet again on Tuesday morning for the second reading of the rules resolution, and then again on Wednesday morning for the third and final reading.
The House is meeting against Wednesday at noon.