Virginia's Republican members of Congress are speaking out against an effort of Democrats to redraw congressional districts.
All five Republican members of Virginia's congressional delegation are united in their opposition to efforts to redraw district maps in a way that could harm them and benefit Democrats.
Congressman Morgan Griffith admits that he led a partisan redistricting effort when he was the Republican leader of the House of Delegates.
"I was a part of partisan redistricting. But the voters of Virginia spoke in 2020 that they didn't like that happening," Griffith says. "They didn't want it, whether it be Republicans or Democrats in the back room. They wanted no more of a partisan redistricting process."
In 2020, voters approved of the current redistricting process, which created a bipartisan commission and a special master system that drew the current maps. Congressman Rob Wittman says Democrats should respect the will of voters who approved that system five years ago.
"This is about overturning the election results of 2020; pure and simple," says Wittman. "They want to deny the voter’s desires to have a bipartisan redistricting commission."
Members of the General Assembly are back at the Capitol this week in a special session to consider a change to the redistricting process that could counterbalance Republican efforts in Texas, Indiana and North Carolina.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
