"Yes" or "no."
That's what Virginia voters will be asked to answer in a special election on Tuesday, April 21, when a single question appears on ballots across the state. Virginians will determine whether to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the state legislature the power to temporarily redraw congressional maps. The new map stands to redraw the states' districts to give Democrats as large as a 10 to 1 advantage over Republicans.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a freshly-inaugurated Democrat, has backed the measure, which comes ahead of the November midterms, potentially paving the way for Democrats to gain as many as four seats in Washington. The election stands to have a potentially major impact on Republicans' razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, experts say.
Redistricting is a process that typically occurs every decade after a census. So Virginia's highly-public, mid-decade redistricting push that's attracted support from former President Barack Obama is quite uncommon, according to Jared McDonald, assistant professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. But it's linked to a broader political battle by both sides for representation in national government that has broken norms around congressional map-making.
