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ICYMI: Virginians for Fair Elections Launches Statewide Campaign to Level the Playing Field

Richmond, Virginia — Virginians for Fair Elections, the statewide campaign advocating for a voter-approved amendment to protect fair congressional elections, launched this past week to widespread coverage across Virginia and the country.

Coverage has highlighted a unified Democratic coalition backing the amendment, swift action by the General Assembly to advance the measure, and a clear message to voters: this is a temporary, emergency step that puts Virginians — not politicians — in charge of protecting fairness and transparency to Virginia’s congressional maps.

As Republican-led states move aggressively to manipulate congressional maps mid-decade, Virginians for Fair Elections is making the case that Virginia must act now to level the playing field — while preserving the Commonwealth’s long-standing commitment to bipartisan redistricting after 2030.

WHAT VIRGINIANS ARE READING

Washington Post: Democrats launch campaign for Virginia voters to join redistricting fight

  • Democrats launched a campaign Thursday aimed at persuading Virginia voters to back a plan to redraw the state’s congressional map in their favor, the latest salvo in a nationwide battle over redistricting ahead of the midterm elections.
  • Virginians for Fair Elections, a Democratic-aligned nonprofit, kicked off its public-facing efforts. The organization will urge voters in Virginia to vote “yes” on a proposed redistricting amendment to the state constitution that would give lawmakers in Richmond, not the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission, the authority to redraw the congressional map through 2030. The Democratic-controlled House of Delegates passed the amendment on Wednesday, and the Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to approve it by the end of the week.
  • “We wish we didn’t have to take this step. But with Donald Trump pressuring MAGA-controlled legislatures to rig their maps, this temporary, emergency exception will keep Virginia’s elections fair until every state plays by the same rules — and make sure the people, not politicians, decide how Virginia’s voice is heard in Congress,” said Kéren Charles Dongo, the campaign’s top operative. A video released Thursday makes a similar argument.

MS NOW — The Weekend: Speaker Scott praises Virginians For Fair Elections, thanks Gov. Spanberger for supporting redistricting effort

  • Symone Sanders: We were really struck by this ad that the Virginians for Fair Elections — which is a democratic-aligned nonprofit —released about this amendment.
  • VAFE AD: Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to rig the midterm elections so they can lock in power, but we can restore fairness with an amendment that gives Virginians the power to level the playing field..
  • Speaker Don Scott: In Virginia, we have no choice but to level the playing field. We have to do our part to level the playing field here in Virginia, and that is what we have done, and that’s what we will do. Tonight, in her inaugural state of the commonwealth address, Governor Spanberger took a bold stand and got behind this initiative to say why were we doing this and why it’s very necessary to make these midterm elections fair. […] And now that we know that Governor Spanberger is 100% behind us, we’re going to definitely get this done and get this to the voters. And I’m excited for it.

CNN — Inside Politics with Dana Bash: Virginia Democrats move forward with redistricting efforts

  • Dana Bash: Fresh off a blue wave in state elections this past November, Democrats in Virginia are pushing to redraw their maps in a way that could add up to four democratic seats. Could the legislature vote this week to put a ballot measure in front of voters, to allow them to do just that? Now they’re trying to pave the way to sell it to voters.
  • VAFE AD: It is temporary, reaffirming our commitment to bipartisan redistricting this year. Our Commonwealth can defend the common good by voting Yes for fair elections.

Associated Press: Virginia lawmakers back redrawing congressional maps, paving the way for a voter referendum

  • Virginia voters will decide whether to back a redrawn district map that favors Democrats in the tit-for-tat battle for the U.S. House after the Senate advanced a proposed constitutional amendment on Friday that supports mid-decade congressional redistricting.
  • Such a congressional map has not been publicly released, though lawmakers say that will change by the end of the month. Officials have repeatedly vowed that voters would see a proposed map before the referendum is held, likely in April.
  • Delegate Cia Price: Because this is a Virginian-led process […] voters will be able to see the maps prior to their vote.
  • Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said when Republican-led states “rig elections in their favor, our commitment to fairness that we made — that our voters made — effectively becomes unilateral disarmament.”

Punchbowl News: Dems launch Va. redistricting campaign

  • The Democrats’ campaign to convince voters to allow them to redraw the congressional map for the midterms dropped its opening ad Thursday.
  • The 46-second spot from Virginians for Fair Elections offers a preview of the group’s message in the three-month sprint before the statewide referendum.

For more information, visit www.virginiansforfairelections.com.