(AURN News) — Virginia voters approved a new congressional map Tuesday with 51% support.
The vote allows Democrats to redraw districts that could flip four Republican-held seats in November’s midterm elections. The new maps take effect immediately.
Nationally, this reshapes the redistricting battle. Democrats and Republicans have each drawn roughly 10 seats to their advantage since the effort began in Texas with Republicans last year.
For Black voters, it is a significant issue. Critics say Republicans have diluted Black voting power by splitting communities across districts, while Virginia’s maps keep these communities intact.
Part of the strategy from a GOP-aligned group in Virginia included mailers sent to Black voters that used KKK imagery and misrepresented comments from former President Barack Obama to suggest he opposed the referendum, despite his endorsement.
The GOP is already preparing legal challenges to appeal the vote, but for now, Virginians have spoken loudly.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
