Virginia lawmakers met this week for a special session called by Democrats to consider a constitutional amendment related to congressional redistricting. The proposed amendment, HJ6007, would allow the General Assembly to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts when other states undertake mid-decade redistricting.
The measure passed during the session. Delegate Mike Cherry (R-Colonial Heights) voted against it, stating, “In short, the Democrat’s proposed constitutional amendment that would afford them a free pass to gerrymander Virginia’s congressional districts passed. I voted against this proposal.”
Delegate Cherry raised concerns about the amendment. He argued that linking Virginia’s constitution to actions in other states is inappropriate: “First, I find it irresponsible to tie Virginia’s constitution to actions being taken in other states. As I stated in a committee hearing on Wednesday, I represent no one from Texas or California. I only represent people of the 74th House District. Voters in Virginia voted overwhelmingly in 2020 to end partisan gerrymandering. I do not believe we should overturn the decision of 2.7 million voters.”
He also noted procedural issues with the timing of the proposal: “Secondly, the proposal comes too late for consideration by the General Assembly. Because this plan seeks to amend the state constitution (specifically Article II, Section 6-A that establishes the Virginia Redistricting Commission), it must follow a set formula. That means the proposed text must pass the legislature twice with an intervening election. The problem here is that the election already started on September 19th when we kicked off 45 days of early voting. The attempt to push through an amendment the week before a general election is highly concerning and underscores the partisan nature of this special session.”
At present, lawmakers are debating only procedural aspects; no specific district maps have been introduced yet. Cherry pointed out that some Democratic legislators have discussed potential redistricting ideas online.
According to Cherry, some proposals have received support from Senate Democrats and include combining cities such as Richmond and Roanoke into one district and linking areas like Virginia Beach and part of Fairfax through complex boundaries—methods he described as similar to past gerrymandering practices that Virginians rejected by creating an independent commission in 2020.
Cherry reported that “the House has now completed its portion of the special session and will not be returning to the Capitol this year.” Legal challenges are expected regarding HJ6007, and further debate is anticipated when lawmakers reconvene for their regular session in January.
