Obama urges Virginians

Barack Obama jumped into Virginia’s final weekend of voting with a direct appeal for a “yes” vote on the state’s April 21 redistricting referendum. The post came after early voting ran from March 6 through April 18. (x.com) (elections.virginia.gov) The ballot asks whether Virginia should amend its constitution to let the General Assembly temporarily redraw congressional districts before 2031. State election officials say that power would apply if another state redraws its own map before then without a court order. (elections.virginia.gov) Virginia’s Department of Elections says a “yes” vote would put a map already approved by lawmakers in place for the 2026 House elections. A “no” vote would leave the current districts in place and keep redistricting on its normal once-a-decade schedule through the Virginia Redistricting Commission. (elections.virginia.gov) Obama told voters that Republicans in several states had already redrawn maps to gain an edge before the midterms, and he cast Virginia’s vote as a response. He made a similar argument in March after the Supreme Court of Virginia cleared the referendum to proceed. (abcnews.com) (virginiamercury.com) The stakes are national because Virginia has 11 U.S. House seats and Republicans hold a narrow House majority. ABC News reported that the proposed map would rework four districts in ways that favor Democrats. (abcnews.com) Republicans have argued the referendum is a partisan power grab in a state where Donald Trump won 46% in 2024. Representative Jen Kiggans said Virginia is “a very purple state” and said one party should not force its preferred map on voters. (abcnews.com) The fight has also turned into a money race. NBC News reported that, as of April 17, groups backing the referendum had spent $49.1 million, compared with $17.2 million from Republican-aligned opponents. (nbcnews.com) Turnout was already unusually high before Election Day. ABC News, citing the Virginia Public Access Project, reported that more than 1 million Virginians had voted early, and the project says it tracks both in-person early votes and returned mail ballots each day. (abcnews.com) (vpap.org) The referendum still carries legal baggage even as voting proceeds. Roll Call reported that the Supreme Court of Virginia paused a lower-court order that would have blocked the vote, allowing the April 21 election to go forward. (rollcall.com) Now the question is simple and statewide: voters decide on Tuesday, April 21, whether Virginia redraws its House map for 2026 or keeps the lines it has. Obama’s late push landed as that choice moved from campaign rallies and court filings to the ballot box. (elections.virginia.gov) (x.com)