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SCOTT COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — In a decision on Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court granted Democrats the opportunity to conduct a special election, allowing voters to weigh in on the state’s redistricting plans.
The newly proposed electoral map is poised to benefit Democrats, giving them an advantage in 10 out of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Speaking with News Channel 11 on Thursday, Republican House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore voiced strong opposition to the redistricting efforts, arguing that the new boundaries fail to reflect Virginia’s diverse demographics.
“This change implies that five representatives from Fairfax County will be speaking for vast areas of rural and suburban Virginia, where there is little commonality,” Kilgore stated. “This is detrimental to Virginia, skewing representation heavily in favor of Democrats, which is blatantly unjust. Republicans believe the Democrats’ actions are unlawful, particularly violating Virginia code Section 30-13, which mandates a 90-day notice posting at the clerk’s office.”
As a state House member representing Scott County, Kilgore expressed his apprehension that the redistricting could marginalize the voices of Southwest Virginia, a region known for its Republican leanings.
The newly proposed map sends the Ninth Congressional District further north, adding several counties. Kilgore said this is a complete disadvantage for voters in this area.
“What this bill and what this gerrymandering that the Democrats have put forth, it would mean that Virginia stops just a little bit west of Prince William County, which is in northern Virginia,” he said. “So it really, really puts it to rural voters, southwest voters, southside voters, suburban voters. You’re losing your say. For example, one of the seats from it comes all the way from northern Virginia, all the way into southside Virginia, south of Richmond. Now that’s totally unfair.”
Congressman Morgan Griffith, the Republican representing the Ninth District, wrote in a statement to News Channel 11 that the new map shows just how partisan the new districts are.
“I am running for re-election in the 9th district,” Griffith’s statement read. “I believe the Supreme Court of Virginia will uphold all or significant portions of Judge Hurley’s opinion and stop the partisan gerrymandering plan the Democrats in Richmond have proposed.”
In 2020, Virginia added a bipartisan redistricting committee with the responsibility of drawing bipartisan district lines in cases like this. Kilgore, however, said this commission has been sidelined.
“Unfortunately, the commission is being sidelined by design,” a spokesperson for Kilgore wrote in an email to News Channel 11. “It is currently in the constitution, but Democrats have pushed an amendment that would say ‘this doesn’t count until 2030,’ throwing out all the bipartisan stuff and letting Democrats draw lines on their own. They’ve done that, and have passed those lines out of the House, along with language that says none of the rules they set up in 2020, i.e. no maps shall unduly favor one party, don’t count until 2030.”
The special election is set for April 21.