Virginia court strikes down Democratic redistricting amendment, jolting 2026 House battle

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday, May 8, struck down a voter-approved congressional redistricting measure backed by Democrats, ruling that lawmakers failed to follow constitutional procedures when placing the amendment on the ballot.

The decision invalidates a new congressional map that could have improved Democratic prospects in multiple House races ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The ruling marks a major development in the broader national battle over congressional redistricting, where both Republicans and Democrats have sought to redraw political boundaries to strengthen their position in the US House.

In Virginia, the court’s decision preserves the existing map and halts a Democratic effort to reshape four key districts.

Court: Legislature violated state constitution

In its ruling, the Virginia Supreme Court found that Democratic lawmakers did not comply with procedural requirements for amending the state constitution to authorize the mid-decade redistricting effort.

Justice D Arthur Kelsey, writing for the majority, said lawmakers “submitted a proposed constitutional amendment to Virginia voters in an unprecedented manner” that violated state law.

The court further stated that the procedural failure “irreparably undermines the integrity of the resulting referendum vote and renders it null and void.”

 Virginia voters had narrowly approved the measure in an April referendum, but the court said the vote itself could not stand because the process leading up to it did not meet constitutional standards.

At the center of the dispute was whether the General Assembly’s first approval of the amendment occurred too late.

Under Virginia law, constitutional amendments must be approved in two separate legislative sessions with a general election in between.

The court agreed with challengers that early voting had already begun when lawmakers first approved the measure, meaning the legal timeline had not been properly met.

The ruling upholds an earlier decision by a lower court, which found multiple procedural violations, including failures related to legislative timing and public notice requirements.

Ruling keeps House map amid fight 

The overturned map would have significantly altered Virginia’s congressional landscape, where the current delegation is split between six Democrats and five Republicans.

Democrats had hoped the revised boundaries would improve their chances in up to four additional House districts.

Under the proposed map, several districts in northern Virginia, Richmond, Hampton Roads, and western parts of the state would have been redrawn in ways expected to favor Democratic candidates.

The ruling comes amid a wider nationwide fight over redistricting ahead of the midterms.

 Republican-led states, including Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, have advanced new maps aimed at strengthening GOP control, while Democratic-led states have pursued countermeasures through their own redistricting efforts.

Virginia’s case gained added significance after a recent US Supreme Court ruling that narrowed parts of the Voting Rights Act, prompting new redistricting discussions in multiple states.

With the Virginia map now invalidated, the state will continue using the court-drawn districts established after the 2020 census, unless lawmakers pursue a new constitutional process.

 The decision leaves both parties recalculating their strategy as the race for House control intensifies ahead of 2026.