Middlesex County political leaders share thoughts on redistricting

A special election is set for April 21 on a
proposed constitutional amendment on redistricting.

During the 2026 regular session of the Virginia General Assembly, legislators passed and the governor signed House Bill 1384 designating a proposed constitutional amendment question to be presented to the voters in an April 21 special election. Early voting begins March 6.

Question

The ballot question on the proposed constitutional amendment reads: “Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”

Analysts have said the redistricting would create 10 Democratic districts and only one Republican district in Virginia.

Opposing views

Democratic and Republican leaders disagree on the reason for the redistricting.

Hardyville resident Louise Gail Mitchell, who serves as chairman of the Middlesex Republican Committee, said this about the proposed redistricting: “As you can see they lumped a lot of small rural counties covering a good part of rural Virginia into the pot with large city areas. Four large counties of Alexandria, Prince William, Fairfax and Arlington will be deciding our fate down here in Middlesex. I don’t consider this a Democrat-Republican issue as much as big city versus rural Virginia issue.”

Saluda resident Hallie Holmes, who serves as chairman of the Middlesex Democratic Committee, sees the redistrict proposal like this: “The Democratic state legislators have proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow the Virginia General Assembly to redraw Congressional districts outside of the normal 10-year Redistricting process.”

“This is a growing part of a national Democratic response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states, kicked off by President Trump’s encouragement to draw maps that tend to be more favorable for GOP before the midterm elections,” wrote Holmes…