Fellow Democrats Must Reject Radical Redistricting Overreach in Virginia

The 2020 constitutional amendments, embraced by 65% of Virginians including broad district-level support, created nonpartisan commissions to end gerrymandering’s toxic legacy. Yet now, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell and Delegate Marcus Simon champion a measure to empower legislators with mid-decade congressional redistricting – ostensibly to counter out-of-state moves but transparently to stack the deck. Critics, even across the aisle, foresee Democrats claiming 10 of 11 U.S. House seats, dooming bipartisan governance.

Delegate Tom Garrett’s House floor rebuke cuts to the core: this is disenfranchisement, flouting voters who demanded independence five years ago. More troubling, Democrats dodged a longstanding 90-day notice mandate to clerks, then retroactively erased the 1971 law enforcing it. Such procedural gymnastics erode public trust and invite chaos, contradicting Democratic commitments to transparency and rule of law.

These liberal leftist policies are profoundly concerning for rank-and-file Democrats who prize fairness over fiat. Virginia’s near-even partisan split demands maps reflecting reality, not engineered supermajorities. Invoking ‘retaliation’ against Texas ignores that two wrongs don’t make right – it perpetuates division, alienating moderates and independents who propelled Democratic gains.

Moderate voices must prevail: urge Senate Democrats to shelve this.  The party’s future hinges on honoring voter mandates, not undermining them. Retrograde tactics like these fuel Republican narratives and jeopardize 2026-2027 cycles. principled Democrats, reclaim the high ground – defend the commission that symbolized reform.