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ICYMI: Court Clears Path for April 21 Vote on Fair Elections Amendment, First Ads Reach Voters Across Commonwealth

Richmond, Va. — The fight to level the playing field is full steam ahead. Last week, the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the way for the April 21 referendum to move forward, giving voters the chance to approve fair congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Early voting will run from March 6 through April 17, with Election Day set for April 21.

The ruling comes as Republican officials in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Florida move to redraw maps mid-decade at Donald Trump’s urging — a national effort to rig the midterm elections before voters ever cast a ballot. With the April 21 referendum confirmed and the YES campaign’s first television ads now airing statewide, Virginia is at the center of the fight to preserve fair representation.

Just yesterday, HuffPost revealed that the “No” campaign opposing the amendment is being run by senior operatives tied to Donald Trump — underscoring the national stakes of the April 21 vote.

If approved, the amendment would allow Virginians to review and vote on new congressional maps for the 2026 elections — a temporary, emergency step to level the playing field while ensuring voters, not politicians, have the final say.

Read up on the latest below:

  • NBC News: Virginia Supreme Court allows redistricting special election to move forward
    • Voters will decide in a special election on April 21 whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would allow the redrawn map to go into effect.
    • “After several Republican-controlled states enacted new maps, Virginia Democrats began the complicated effort of amending the constitution to allow them to respond with redrawn district lines.”
    • “Today’s order is a huge win for Virginia voters,” said Dan Gottlieb, a spokesperson for Virginians for Fair Elections, a group campaigning in support of the redistricting amendment. “This has always been a procedural challenge aimed at stopping voters from even having a say. The referendum proceeds, and the people of Virginia remain in charge of their own elections.”
  • New York Times: Virginia’s Top Court Clears Path for Democratic Push to Redraw House Map
    • Virginia’s top court on Friday cleared the way for a statewide referendum that could allow Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional map before the fall midterm elections and pick up more House seats.
    • It allowed an April 21 vote by Virginians on a constitutional amendment that is necessary for lawmakers to carry out the redistricting plan.
    • “This has always been a procedural challenge aimed at stopping voters from even having a say.”
  • Fox 5 DC: Live Interview with Vote Yes Campaign Manager Keren Charles Dongo
    • Keren Charles Dongo: “Virginians are responding to what’s happening at the federal level to level the playing field. They understand this is a temporary measure.”
    • “This is an opportunity for Virginians to respond to what is going on in the country.”
  • Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia Supreme Court allows redistricting vote to proceed
    • The Virginia Supreme Court is giving voters the first say on whether to amend the Virginia Constitution to allow the General Assembly to redraw the state’s congressional districts this year.
    • The Democratic-controlled legislature passed the proposed redistricting amendment … in response to redistricting in Texas, North Carolina and other Republican-controlled states at the urging of President Donald Trump to protect the slim GOP majority in Congress in midterm elections in November.
  • NBC4 DC: Virginia to hold special election on redistricting amendment
    • Vote Yes Campaign Manager Keren Charles Dongo: “There is a general desire to meaningfully push back and speak up. This is giving voters the opportunity to do that.”
    • “This campaign is Virginians. It’s people speaking up at their book club, or at their community meetings, and saying this is what I’m involved in — and here is why.”
  • Virginia Public Media: Supreme Court of Virginia greenlights redistricting referendum
    • Speaker Don Scott: “The fact that they said in their order, which is unusual, that this order, this decision, in no way impacts their ability for us to hold an election, tells you everything you need to know.”
    • Governor Abigail Spanberger: “It’s a question of whether voters know when and how they can make their voices heard,” she said. “It’s important that we have clarity of when and at what points in time elections are moving forward. So it’s important that they made a quick decision.”

The Court denied motions to stay the lower court’s order, but stated that the denial of the stay “has no effect on the referendum scheduled for April 21, 2026.”

For more information, visit www.virginiansforfairelections.com.