this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2026
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Governor called referendum after president urged GOP-led states to redraw maps to protect House majority

Voters in Virginia on Tuesday approved new congressional maps intended to boost Democrats’ chances of retaking the House of Representatives, in the latest blow to Donald Trump’s effort to use mid-decade redistricting to preserve his control of Congress.

The tit-for-tat redistricting battle began last year after Trump pressed Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers in the November midterm elections.

California voters retaliated by approving new maps that could flip five Republican-held seats, and in Virginia, Abigail Spanberger, the newly elected Democratic governor, backed an effort to redraw her state’s maps following her January inauguration. Tuesday’s referendum could help Democrats win four additional House seats in November’s midterm elections.

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[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 24 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Just get proportional representation for fucks sake.

[–] tal@lemmy.today -3 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Proportional represention creates problems if you want to have representation tied to geographical areas, which the US system does.

[–] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 12 points 9 hours ago

But there are like a gajilion variants that tweak around the problem. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of good, just pick any one, it's going to be better than FPTP.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 20 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Dems would not be redistricting if the MAGAs hasn't tried it first, but that shows an improvement. In the past, Dems wouldn't have tried redistricting, even if MAGA had succeeded in doing it, because it wouldn't have been "fair."

This time, they saw MAGA trying to grab an advantage, so the Dems did it too, except they did it right, so it passed by the courts, while the MAGA attempts didn't.

We are finally seeing the Dems fighting back, and fighting back smart, which is something MAGA will NEVER be able to compete with. We need the Dems to play a lot more of that Hard Ball.

[–] KC_Royalz@lemmy.world -1 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

It feels like a pebble thrown against a mountain

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I don't see why you think this. congress is the one the constitution depends on to impeach presidents who violate the constitution.

[–] KC_Royalz@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Sometimes gerrymandering has the opposite effect. And of all the shit Republicans have done and gotten away with seems like a very small step. Still need to win and elect those who will hold Republicans accountable.

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 12 points 12 hours ago

Bills have been brought up several times to make district mapping non-partisan, and/or by 3rd party independent agencies. Usually Dems bring them up and republicans vote them down or sabotage them in any way they can.

[–] Bieren@lemmy.today 3 points 9 hours ago

Now if only NC could figure out how to unfuck the maps.

[–] lazynooblet@lazysoci.al 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I found it really odd that the legislature are able to gerrymander in the first place. Why isn't this process in control of an independent board? Some of the gerrymandered district maps are laughably corrupt.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 8 points 10 hours ago

Republicans generally vote against implementing those boards.

[–] santa@sh.itjust.works 48 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

And Dems did it legally in each case. Fuck off, Ken!

[–] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 51 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

HAHA SUCK MY NUTS KEN PAXTON

[–] fartographer@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

As a Texas, I'm all for Ken Paxton sucking everyone's nuts, but why him, in particular? I feel like I might already know the answer, but I'm too overwhelmed by everything here to solve this puzzle.

Edit: reread the actual article title. Tit-for-tat with Texas. Got it. Yes, fuck us indeed.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

It's understandable. Your job as a fartographer has to be so time consuming. The sheer amount of data to pour through must be overwhelming.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 39 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

The tit-for-tat redistricting battle began last year after Trump pressed Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature to redraw that state’s congressional maps in a bid to oust as many as five Democratic House lawmakers in the November midterm elections.

I guess that it looks like the the early gerrymandering effort may, when one includes the backlash, have wound up on the net reducing the number of seats that Republican legislators hold in the House relative to Democrats, then.

Probably would have been better for the Trump administration to have left well enough alone.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

There was gerrymandering on both sides, but definitely more in Red states. Kind of a stupid fight to start, because there was always more room to gerrymander on the blue side.

[–] daychilde@lemmy.world 19 points 19 hours ago

It was too fucking close, too. I'm glad it passed.

I'm also happy that almost all of Hampton Roads was very much on the YES side. Poquoson went very NO and York went somewhat NO, but even James City County and even Charles City County went YES, although James City County was the smallest margin in the entire state.

Newport News where I live was solidly YES. I'm a mod in the subreddit - the last thing I'm doing with reddit - and we got brigaded to hell from people outside the community in three threads about the vote. It was crazy.

[–] homes@piefed.world 22 points 21 hours ago

Glad to hear that some voters have some common sense

[–] LuminousLuddite@lemmy.world 12 points 19 hours ago

HAHAHA GET FUCKED MAGATS