ACCOMACK COUNTY, VA -
The national battle over redistricting is taking center stage in Virginia, where Democrats are pushing to redraw the state’s 11 congressional districts — including the district that represents the Eastern Shore.
Under Virginia’s Constitution, the authority to redraw congressional districts is held by a bipartisan commission.
In early February, Governor Abigail Spanberger advanced multiple constitutional amendment proposals, including a referendum on redistricting in the Commonwealth.
Democrats currently hold six of Virginia’s 11 U.S. House seats. The proposed map positions Democrats to a potential 10-1 advantage.
Red votes would be moved from Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District to the more Democratic-leaning District 3.
In Accomack County, Supervisor Jeff Parks said he fears the change would weaken local representation.
"You don't temporarily modify the state's constitution, especially when it's the Commonwealth of Virginia, the home of presidents," Parks said. "I see this as depriving people of their right to vote in a lot of ways … yes, they'll vote, but their voices won't be heard because they'll be set in districts where they're not representative of their ideas."
Republican Delegate Robert Bloxom Jr., who has represented the Eastern Shore in the House of Delegates for more than a decade, told WBOC he thinks this is setting a dangerous precedent.
In a statement made to WBOC News on Thursday, Delegate Bloxom said the following:
“Do we really want to go down this path? That whoever has the power just beats the other one into submission, where you just make one segment of the population’s voice not be heard from at all.”
Another local leader, Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden, issued a statement to WBOC in response to the ongoing redistricting.
"I personally believe gerrymandering by any political party in any state of the union is wrong. The power and voice belong to the people and not politicians. If a politician cannot win his/her seat based on their stance and has to redraw lines in order to win an election, then that tells me all I need to know about their integrity.”
As of now, Virginians are scheduled to vote on the referendum April 21. However, a legal challenge could halt the process. A Virginia court on Thursday temporarily blocked Democrats from preparing for the April voter referendum, handing the party another setback in its efforts to pick up four more U.S. House seats in the national redistricting battle.