The Chairman’s Corner
February 16, 2026
GERRYMANDERING IN VIRGINIA
Good Day Page County,
On April 21, 2026, the new Governor, along with the newly elected legislature, will hold an election (sometimes called a referendum) on an amendment to the Virginia Constitution. That referendum will ask whether you want to change our Constitution to allow the legislature to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.
The Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?
The answer to that question is NO. Let me explain.
WHAT WILL IT DO
The amendment will allow the Virginia State Legislature to redraw our 11 Congressional Districts in any way it wants (proposed map included below).
HOW IT WORKS NOW
Each state is allowed to decide how their congressional districts, those that make up their representation in the United States House of Representatives, are drawn. The current process in Virginia is controlled by a bipartisan committee that is charged with creating districts that do not discriminate based on race, language, or political affiliation (VA Code § 24.2-304.04). That process was solidified in an amendment to our Constitution in 2020. The current map favors Democrats 6 to 5. The previous two presidential elections reflect a similar distribution of voters in Virginia (2020 – Biden 54% to Trump’s 44%, 2024 – Harris 52% to Trump’s 46%).
WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE AGAINST IT
Our current bipartisan process is enshrined in our Constitution, duly approved by Virginians just 6 years ago. This process ensures that our representation in Congress reasonably reflects the breakdown of people that makeup the Commonwealth. If the amendment is approved several things will happen:
1) People will be broken out of their communities. Many people will be put into districts that don’t reflect their communities. For example, the people of Powhatan County will be put into the same district as the people of Augusta County and Arlington County. Do the people in Arlington lead similar lives, have similar interests, or similar concerns as those in Powhatan or Augusta? I would suggest no. Page County would be in the same district as Fairfax County. Having grown up here, and now charged with protecting the people of Page County, I know that our rural community has little in common with Fairfax.
2) Endless Redistricting. When will the redistricting stop? We currently have a bipartisan committee charged, by law, with creating reasonable districts that represent the people who live there. If this amendment passes, then each time power changes hands the districts will change. Is that what you want? Is that the message you want to send to Richmond?
3) Voter voices mean nothing. In 2020, the people of Virginia approved the amendment that this new amendment would undo, by nearly 2 to 1 (65.6% to 34.3%). 65% of Virginia voters approved of the bipartisan committee to redistrict. Do you really want to send the message that Richmond should snub that vote and have a do-over? Should the voices of voters be summarily dismissed?
In my humble opinion, this amendment is bad for everyone. The people of Fairfax should not be influenced by rural Virginians hundreds of miles away, just as our community should not be influenced by them. Also, while this may be a short-term win for Democrats, it is likely to be painful in the future when conservatives inevitably regain power in Richmond.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
First and foremost, exercise your right to vote. Early voting starts March 6th 2026. The election will be held on April 21st 2026. Get out there and tell Richmond what you think by voting. Second, tell your friends and family to get out and vote. Third, contribute to local efforts to get the NO message out there. Besides voting, spreading the word is the most powerful way you can protect your representation in Congress.
We can protect our representation; we must tell Richmond to not mess with the bipartisan districts as they stand.
Best Regards,
Chapman L. Good, Sr.
Chairman
Page County Republican Committee
See Proposed Map Below – Found at https://www.vpap.org/redistricting/2026/ (a non-partisan website).
