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In rural Virginia, voters are weighing a Democrats-backed constitutional amendment that would rewrite congressional lines for the next midterm cycle, drawing both excitement and dread as the referendum approaches April 21. Early balloting has begun, and supporters and opponents are already signaling how they plan to explain the stakes to neighbors in places where Republicans have long held sway. If voters approve the measure and it clears court challenges, at least one rural area could end up split between two U.S. House districts, altering who has a chance to win in November.
The plan would restructure representation in Augusta County in a way that reshapes expectations for some longtime local officials. Michael Shull, a Republican member of the Augusta County board of supervisors, said in the coverage that he never expected a Democrat from the wealthy Washington suburbs to represent his community. Shull also said the proposed map would split his area between the 7th and 9th Congressional Districts, with the 9th described as the state’s lone Republican stronghold and the 7th described as stretching from the Democrat-dominated Arlington area down into rural communities.
Supporters of the referendum argue the approach is a response to a broader national redistricting push that began after President Donald Trump encouraged Texas Republicans last year to redraw maps to improve their odds. The coverage describes Republicans believing they can win additional House seats across states including Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio, while Democrats believe they can gain seats across states including California and Utah. Virginia, supporters say, could deliver Democrats additional seats sufficient to change control in the House, depending on the broader outcome.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia framed the referendum as a necessity in the face of Trump’s political strategy. Beyer said, “It’s about making sure that we fight back to what Trump’s done,” and he said Democrats must persuade voters that the referendum is “not about embracing gerrymandering.” He added, “I feel optimistic, but it’s close,” in remarks captured during the reporting.
The referendum also lands amid Democrats’ attempts to improve performance in rural Virginia. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who had campaigned for governor with outreach that included oyster towns and agrarian communities, had previously represented a district that mixed city suburbs, exurbs and adjacent rural areas. The reporting notes that Spanberger’s results varied by county type, with larger gains in less rural areas and smaller gains where the counties were described as more rural.
Some rural-facing Democrats and organizers see the referendum as an opening, while others describe it as a risky tradeoff. Anthony Flaccavento, a former congressional candidate and co-founder of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative, said the effort can feel like “kicking the can down the road” when it comes to winning back rural and working-class voters. Still, the same reporting describes rural Democrats who are eager to change the balance against neighboring Republicans, portraying the referendum as a way to stop being outnumbered.
In Louisa County, the coverage described protesters and signs urging a “Fight Back, Vote Yes” message and, in another sign, “Vote Yes. Stop ICE. No Kings.” Dan Helmer, a state delegate who helped spearhead the redistricting effort, spoke to the crowd, and he said Republicans “think that in red areas like Louisa and in rural areas, that people don’t know what’s going on.” Helmer said he was looking at people who “know exactly what is going on,” and he argued Trump was pursuing “an aspiring dictator” trying to take away democracy.
Jennifer Lee, who said she has lived in Louisa for 33 years, told reporters she was eager to support the new district lines and said she believed Republicans were applying a double standard to election questions. Lee said Republicans falsely claimed the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Democrat Joe Biden but then accepted Trump’s push to eliminate Democratic seats through redistricting. She said, “That’s their slogan, right? ‘Stop the steal,’” while also saying, “But they started ‘the steal.’ They’re stealing the seats now in all these districts.”
Not all rural voters described the referendum in the same terms, and some questioned how they should sell the decision to their own communities. At a Democratic town hall in Goochland County, voters discussed whether the redistricting crossed a moral line, with the reporting describing finger foods, bottled water and debate over the justification. Bruce Silverman, a local nephrologist, said he would vote for the measure and told the meeting, “I’m sorry, morality just goes out the door right now. We have to do what it takes for us to survive.”
Roberta Thacker-Oliver offered a sharper counterpoint, according to the reporting. She said she votes in the rural 9th District, which she said would become even more Republican under the new map, and she said, “In the redistricting, the 9th is going to become bigger and redder.” She added that she needs to explain to her community why it should “take one for the team,” and she asked, “What do we tell them?”
Sources cited in the reporting include U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, state Del. Dan Helmer, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and other rural voters and advocates, with the story produced by Associated Press reporters Olivia Diaz, Maya Sweedler, Ashlyn Still and Joey Cappelletti.