Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The Republican National Committee is suing to halt a Democratic-backed referendum on redrawing the commonwealth's congressional map, as both parties wage a mid-decade redistricting fight ahead of November's midterm elections.
The RNC filed its lawsuit Wednesday, after GOP-led Texas began a Trump-urged push last summer to redraw its map to add more Republican seats, kicking off tit-for-tat moves across the country in a fight that could decide control of Congress.
The lawsuit seeks emergency injunctive relief to block an April 21 referendum on a proposed amendment to the commonwealth's Constitution to allow mid-decade redistricting, arguing the legislation Virginia's General Assembly approved to put the question before voters is invalid and goes against the state's Constitution.
"Virginia Democrats are trying to ram through an illegal redistricting scheme that a court has already called a blatant abuse of power," RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement.
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