Barack Obama released a video on Thursday calling for Virginia voters to approve a constitutional amendment on the April 21 special election ballot that would temporarily suspend the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission and let the Democrat-controlled General Assembly redraw congressional district maps.
The measure, framed by supporters as a response to Republican-led mid-decade redistricting in other states, would allow lawmakers to adopt new congressional maps for the 2026 midterms and beyond, continuing through the 2030 census.
Democrats say the proposed maps could shift Virginia’s current 6-5 Democratic advantage in the U.S. House delegation to as many as 10-1.
In the video, Obama stated:
“By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms.”
The former president continued, “By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we’re counting on you.”
WATCH:
Virginia, if you haven’t done it already, make a plan to vote YES on the redistricting referendum.
You can vote early by April 18 or on Election Day, April 21. Find your polling place at https://t.co/vsawTNnoax. pic.twitter.com/NiCTBpS10I
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 17, 2026
The referendum appears on the ballot as, “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?”
ABC News reports:
The “Yes” side has fundraised and spent millions more on advertisements than the “No” side, according to campaign finance filings and an analysis by AdImpact. It’s also been bolstered by celeb power from figures such as Kerry Washington, John Legend and Pusha T.
Yet polling has still shown a close race, despite the seeming momentum behind the “Yes” efforts. A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted in late March, after early voting had begun in the state, found that 52% of likely voters in the referendum supported the move, while 47% were opposed — a result just outside the poll’s margin of error.
Early voting ends on April 18.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 21.
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