Members of the General Assembly will be returning to Richmond on Monday for a special session on redistricting. Democrats are talking about redrawing the maps as a reaction to Republican-led redistricting efforts across the country.
🚨 It’s official, #valeg special session called for Monday at 4 PM pic.twitter.com/2g2XSxQorZ
— BK (@BradKutner) October 23, 2025
Republican-led states across the country are trying to add more GOP-friendly congressional districts in Texas, Indiana, Florida and, most recently, North Carolina. California voters are about to consider an effort to counterbalance that and add more Democratic-friendly districts. And now, Virginia will join that effort.
"I think that the Republicans have put Democrats across the country in an untenable position," says Delegate Mark Sickles, a Democrat from Franconia. "They want to have it both ways. They want to redistrict Texas and North Carolina and to have no reaction from Democrats."
If Democrats can pass a constitutional amendment before the election next month, then they can pass it again early next year and send it to voters for an approval in a referendum. Senator Mark Peake is a Republican from Lynchburg who is the party chairman, and he says this whole thing is a ruse and a stunt.
“Their LG candidate has not left the basement. Nobody’s even seen her. Their AG candidate can’t get off the news for horrible, horrible reasons, and their governor candidate is terminally dull, dull, dull," Peake says. "They’ve got a real problem, and they are scared. Thus, this stunt.”
If voters approve of a proposed amendment early next year in a statewide referendum, a new set of maps might be in place for the 2026 Congressional midterms – potentially adding one or maybe two new Democrats to the Virginia delegation.
Radio IQ's Brad Kutner reports that Virginia Democrats have been considering the redistricting-focused special session since Labor Day. Virginia's governor will also need to approve funding for any referendum election — putting even more of a spotlight on the gubernatorial contest. The special session announcement comes just 12 days before Election Day.
In a statement, Senate Republicans called on both candidates for governor to reject the redistricting idea.
“Democrats and Republicans stood side by side and asked Virginians to adopt a bipartisan redistricting process with a Supreme Court backstop,” Sen. Mark Obenshain said. “Voters overwhelmingly approved it. To tear it up after one use, just because Democrats didn’t like the outcome, is a breathtaking act of cynicism. It’s an attack on the voters’ trust.”
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
