Virginia state Senate approves constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting

The Virginia state Senate on Friday approved a constitutional amendment to allow the Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts.

It is the latest move in a nationwide partisan battle to redraw congressional maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

Virginia’s Democrat-run Senate passed the constitutional amendment in a 21-16 party-line vote.

The Virginia House passed the constitutional amendment Wednesday.

In Virginia, lawmakers must pass the constitutional amendment in two different sessions, with an election in between, and bypass the bipartisan redistricting commission voters approved in 2020 to redraw districts. Only then would it go to voters for final approval.

The Senate gave final approval to the amendment just before Tuesday’s elections, in which the Virginia governorship and all 100 state House seats are on the ballot.

That puts the state on track to potentially redraw the maps in time to help Democrats pick up some seats in the U.S. House as they try to wrest the majority away from Republicans.

Democrats need to gain three seats next year to take control of the House.

Virginia Democrats currently represent six of 11 congressional districts and could snag two or three new seats with a new map.

A national redistricting fight erupted after President Trump got Texas to do a mid-decade redo of its map that will likely net five additional seats for House Republicans.

Redistricting typically occurs after the decennial census.

Republican-run legislatures are also revising congressional districts in Missouri and North Carolina, and Ohio officials agreed to new congressional map lines on Friday.