The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday allowed a referendum that could pave the way for a new congressional map that heavily favors Democrats to appear on the ballot this spring.
The ruling is a victory for Democrats as they seek to pick up as many as four seats in this year's midterm elections with their redistricting effort. Voters will decide in a special election on April 21 whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would allow the redrawn map to go into effect.
Still, the ruling doesn't end the broader legal challenge over Democrats' redistricting maneuver. The state Supreme Court court said it may schedule oral arguments and laid out a schedule for opening briefs in the case. A final ruling would almost certainly come after the special election.
Democrats currently control six of Virginia's 11 congressional districts.
The Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a measure to amend the state Constitution twice and scheduled the April special election. But last month, a lower court ruled that Democratic lawmakers had erred procedurally.
While some state lawmakers have been able to redraw congressional maps through legislation, Virginia's constitution mandates that a bipartisan redistricting commission handles the process. After several Republican-controlled states enacted new maps, Virginia Democrats began the complicated effort of amending the constitution to allow them to respond with redrawn district lines.
“Today’s order is a huge win for Virginia voters,” said Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for Virginians for Fair Elections, a group campaigning in support of the redistricting amendment. “This has always been a procedural challenge aimed at stopping voters from even having a say. The referendum proceeds, and the people of Virginia remain in charge of their own elections.”
