Virginia votes ‘yes’ on redistricting referendum, allowing redrawing of congressional districts

In a tight race, Virginians have voted “yes” on a ballot referendum in a major special election that has been closely watched by the nation.

The NBC Decision Desk and the Associated Press called the race just before 8:50 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Virginia is one of the latest states to consider a new, partisan redistricting plan ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The last time Virginia’s congressional districts were redrawn was back in 2021.

Right now, Democrats control six of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts, while Republicans hold the other five. Now that voters have approved the proposed amendment, the political landscape could shift dramatically, potentially giving Democrats a 10-1 advantage heading into the fall midterms.

The proposed law reads: The proposed amendment would give the General Assembly the authority to redraw one or more of Virginia’s congressional districts before 2031 in limited circumstances. In the event that another state redraws its own congressional districts before 2031, without being ordered by a court to do so, the General Assembly would then be able to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts. The General Assembly’s power to do so would continue until October 31, 2030, and the Virginia Redistricting Commission would reassume the responsibility of drawing the congressional districts in 2031.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger also released a statement following the passing of the referendum:

“Virginia voters have spoken, and tonight they approved a temporary measure to push back against a President who claims he is ‘entitled’ to more Republican seats in Congress. Virginians watched other states go along with those demands without voter input — and we refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box.

I understand the urgency of winning congressional seats as a check on this President, and I look forward to campaigning with candidates across the Commonwealth working to earn Virginians’ trust — and their votes. Looking forward, I remain committed to ensuring Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting commission gets back to work after the 2030 census, and to protecting the process Virginians voted to create.”

Gov. Abigail Spanberger

Here’s a full breakdown of how localities in our region are voting.