The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday invalidated a state referendum that would have allowed Democrats to pick up five blue seats, delivering a devastating blow in the party’s redistricting battle with Republicans.
In April, voters narrowly approved a redistricting referendum that diluted the voting power of rural areas and gave state Democrats a 10–1 advantage in Congressional representation.
In a 4-3 ruling, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down the referendum, ruling that Democratic lawmakers violated procedural rules.
“In this case, the Commonwealth submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to Virginia voters in an unprecedented manner that violated the intervening-election requirement in Article XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia. This violation irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void,” the court ruled.
The decision marks a stinging defeat for Governor Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), who aggressively pursued the measure, despite previously saying she had “no plans” to pursue redistricting.
“Justice has been served. From the beginning, this was the most obvious violation of Virginia’s Constitution. Abigail Spanberger and Democrats in Richmond knowingly violated our constitution to disenfranchise millions of Virginians,” former Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Younkin said. “The Constitution prevailed, and Virginians will never forget this unlawful attempt to rob them of their voice in Congress.”
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