Michael Shull, a Republican member of Augusta County’s board of supervisors, said he did not expect a Democrat from the wealthy suburbs outside Washington to represent his community in Congress. In rural Virginia, his sentiment captures an unease that has intensified as the state’s redistricting referendum draws attention ahead of April 21 voting, with early balloting already underway.
The referendum would create new congressional lines after Democrats and Republicans nationwide accelerated their efforts to redraw districts to improve their prospects in November’s midterm elections. Virginia’s proposal, supporters say, would reshape how political power is distributed between the state’s conservative rural areas and its more liberal suburbs—an argument that has fueled both excitement and dread among voters.
Shull said he believes politicians should reflect the people they represent rather than simply follow party priorities. He said the referendum could split his area within Augusta County between Virginia’s 7th and 9th congressional districts if voters approve the amendment and it survives any court challenge, potentially altering which party holds the state’s most reliable seat.
Don Beyer, a U.S. representative from Virginia, framed the referendum as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s push for new maps that he said Democrats need to counter. Beyer said Democrats should persuade voters that the referendum is “not about embracing gerrymandering,” while he said he was “optimistic” that it could help the party make gains in the House.
Democratic candidates and party organizers are also linking the referendum to efforts to rebuild support in rural areas. Abigail Spanberger, a former U.S. representative from Virginia, campaigned last year for governor by seeking to reach more conservative voters in places such as oyster communities and agrarian hamlets, after representing a district that mixed suburbs, exurbs and adjacent rural communities.
However, some Democrats acknowledge their appeal is uneven. The AP report said Spanberger’s results were stronger in less rural counties, while her gains in more rural counties were smaller. Anthony Flaccavento, a former congressional candidate and co-founder of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, said he is torn, describing the referendum at least in part as delaying a longer-term struggle over winning back rural and working-class voters.
At rallies and community events, some rural Democrats portrayed the referendum as a necessary strategic shift rather than a departure from local representation. In Louisa County, signs supporting the amendment included “Fight Back, Vote Yes,” and another, “Vote Yes. Stop ICE. No Kings.” Dan Helmer, a Virginia state delegate who helped spearhead the redistricting effort, greeted protesters and told the crowd that he sees “strong, proud patriots” who understand what he described as an effort to take away democracy.
Jennifer Lee, who has lived in Louisa for 33 years, said she expects to support the new district lines. She said she sees Republicans applying a double standard—rejecting Democratic claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen while embracing what she described as efforts to eliminate Democratic seats through gerrymandering, including by shifting district boundaries.
Not all voters are convinced. At a town hall hosted by Democrats in Goochland County, participants debated whether redistricting violated some kind of moral code and questioned what they would tell their communities about voting in favor of the referendum. Bruce Silverman, a local nephrologist, said he was voting “yes,” arguing that voters have to “do what it takes for us to survive.”
For Roberta Thacker-Oliver, the choice is tied to what the map would do to her own district. She said she votes in the rural 9th District, which she said would become “bigger and redder” under the new map, and she questioned what to tell her community about “why they need to take one for the team.”