WASHINGTON, United States: Virginia voted on Tuesday in a referendum that could hand Democrats four extra seats in the US House of Representatives, turning President Donald Trump´s redistricting push into a potential liability for Republicans in upcoming midterm elections.
The battle over “gerrymandering” -- the long-established but widely criticized US practice of drawing electoral boundaries to benefit one party -- has become one of the defining fights of the campaign for November´s congressional contests.
The ballot measure would temporarily let Virginia redraw its congressional map before the next scheduled nationwide redistricting in 2030, giving Democrats a strong advantage in 10 of the state´s 11 House districts, up from their current 6-5 edge.
With control of the House on a knife edge, the vote could help determine whether Trump finishes his term with a compliant Republican Congress or a Democratic chamber empowered to block his agenda and investigate his administration.
Trump, who lost Virginia in all three of his presidential campaigns, joined a telephone rally Monday night with House Speaker Mike Johnson to urge a “no” vote, warning Virginians: “The whole country is watching.”
After polls opened at 6:00 am, the president followed up on Tuesday with an all-caps social media post urging the state to vote no to “save your country.”
Redistricting usually follows the national census every 10 years, but Trump last year urged Republican-led states to redraw maps mid-decade to protect the party´s fragile House majority.
That triggered a tit-for-tat contest as both parties raced to squeeze out extra seats before November.
Texas moved first, adopting a map that could add up to five Republican seats. California answered with a ballot measure designed to give Democrats five of their own.
Virginia is now one of Democrats´ last major chances to gain ground through redistricting before voters decide control of Congress.
Democratic groups have poured money into the state, making the referendum one of the most expensive redistricting fights in US history.
The main campaigns on both sides have raised nearly $100 million, much of it from “dark money” groups -- nonprofit organisations that can spend heavily on politics without publicly disclosing their donors.
The pro-redistricting campaign, Virginians for Fair Elections, has raised the lion´s share -- nearly $65 million, according to The Hill.
Former president Barack Obama, still one of the Democratic Party´s most influential campaign voices, has urged Virginians to vote yes.
