RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is advancing significant constitutional amendment proposals including enshrining same-sex marriage, the right to reproductive freedom, automatic voting right restoration for time-served felons, and redistricting in the Commonwealth, should voters approve them.
On Friday, Feb. 6, Spanberger signed four bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly to put four constitutional amendments up for referendum this year. Virginians will now be asked to approve or reject the amendments this year.
The first bill, HB612, would require the equal treatment of a legal marriage between two adults under the law, regardless of sex, gender, or race. The amendment would also remove Virginia’s current constitutional language defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman.
SB 449 would codify the right to make one’s own decision on reproductive health care, including access to abortion. Patients and their doctors would be shielded from punishment for making those decisions, under the amendment. Some restrictions on abortion access during the third trimester of pregnancy would remain in place.
Addressing voting rights, Spanberger also signed HB963/SB6, which would revise the process of restoring voting rights for convicted felons. Currently, felons who have served their time must appeal to the governor after their sentence to have their voting rights restored. The new law would make that restoration automatic following the completion of a sentence.
Finally, a constitutional amendment to give the General Assembly the authority to modify Virginia’s congressional district map outside of the usual redistricting cycle in response to another state doing the same will now be on the ballot. The new redistricting authority would be limited to January, 2025 to October, 2030.
“Virginia voters deserve the opportunity to respond to the nationwide attacks on our rights, freedoms, and elections,” Spanberger said after signing the legislation on Friday. “Everyone deserves the freedom to marry who they love - and Virginia’s Constitution should affirm that all families are welcome in our Commonwealth. Women in Virginia deserve the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without politicians dictating their choices. When Virginians have paid their debt to society, they deserve to regain their right to vote. And when other states take extreme measures, I trust Virginia voters to respond.”
The first three amendments will be on the ballot on Nov. 3, 2026, while the redistricting amendment is scheduled to appear in an earlier special election on April 21.
Spanberger’s endorsement of the proposed amendments further illustrates a stark political shift in Virginia’s executive branch from previous Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. Earlier this week, Spanberger signed an executive order immediately severing state agency partnerships with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Whether these newly-proposed constitutional amendments are adopted in the Commonwealth is a decision now left to the voters of Virginia this election season.