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The decision is considered a blow to Democrats on the eve of the midterm elections, as it could prevent them from winning up to four additional seats in the House of Representatives.
The Virginia Supreme Court has declared invalid a referendum that would have paved the way for Democrats to redraw the U.S. House of Representatives. The decision represents a significant setback for Democrats' national strategy in the battle for electoral redistricting ahead of the midterm elections.
The court ruled that the procedure for approving the referendum violated the Virginia Constitution. In the majority opinion, Justice D. Arthur Kelsey stated that the constitutional amendment was presented to voters “in an unprecedented manner” that violated the legal requirement to hold an election between two votes in the state legislature.
Under Virginia law, the General Assembly must vote twice on a constitutional amendment before it can be submitted to the people in a referendum, with a general election held between the two votes. Republicans argued that the first vote, held in October 2025, was invalid because early voting for the election had already begun. The court accepted that argument.
The decision reinstates the 2021 electoral map for the November elections. This map was drawn up by independent experts appointed by the court itself, after the state commission for electoral redistricting failed to reach an agreement.
Democrats had hoped that changing Virginia's electoral boundaries would allow them to gain up to four additional seats in Congress, significantly reducing Republican representation in the state. According to the court, the new plan would create a significant partisan advantage in favor of Democrats.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the decision "shocking" and said he was considering all legal options to challenge it. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, hailed the decision on the Truth Social platform, calling it a "big win for the Republican Party and America."
The decision is seen as a development with a direct impact on the race for control of the House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections.
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