Narrow majority in Virginia backs redistricting to favor Democrats: Poll

A slim majority of voters in Virginia support a redistricting effort that would give Democrats an advantage in November’s elections, according to a new survey.

The Washington Post-Schar School poll, released earlier this week, found that 52 percent of voters in the Old Dominion State back the measure and would vote “yes” on it if the special election were held this week. In contrast, 47 percent said they would vote “no.”

GOP voters and critics of the measure, however, are more enthusiastic about voting against it during the special election set for April 21 than their counterparts. Around 85 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters said they plan to vote or have already voted against the proposal, the survey results show.

Another 77 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents also said they commit to casting a ballot in the election later this month, according to the poll.

Early voting began last month on a state constitutional amendment that would give Democrats as many as four seats in Congress. The measure would also temporarily bypass the state’s redistricting commission to redraw maps mid-decade.

Virginia’s Supreme Court approved the measure to be on the ballot less than a week before early voting began. State Republicans repeatedly sought to stop Democrats from moving forward with the referendum.

The vote has Democrats zeroing in on the measure’s potential passage. Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D) said last month that the referendum “levels the playing field so that Virginians can protect fair representation at a moment when it is under direct threat.”

Former President Obama was featured in an ad to motivate Virginia voters to support the measure. He criticized GOP-controlled states that took “the unprecedented step of redrawing their congressional maps in the middle of the decade, and they’ve done it for a simple reason to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms this fall.”

“In April, Virginians can respond by making sure your voting power is not diminished by what Republicans are doing in other states,” Obama said in the ad.

President Trump last year urged red states to redraw their congressional districts in order for Republicans to maintain their control of Congress.

Texas, North Carolina and Missouri –– all red states –– have passed new maps to give elected GOP lawmakers an advantage in November.

An initiative in California also passed last year during a special election, giving the Golden State’s Democrats four or five pickup opportunities. Utah’s Supreme Court also blocked state GOP efforts from preventing a new congressional map to be passed, giving Democrats a chance to win a more favorable district around Salt Lake County.

The Washington Post-Schar survey was conducted March 26-31 and included 1,101 respondents. The margin of error is 3.4 percentage points.