April 1, 2026 Editor, The News-Gazette: I’m writing to encourage readers to vote “yes” for Virginia’s current referendum.
Unlike in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, where Republican legislatures have not put redistricting to a statewide vote, we in Virginia, like voters in California, have the opportunity to actually vote on this amendment, which will allow us to counterbalance the imposition of changed districts in other states.
We cannot bring a pen to a gunfight, nor can we afford to exercise the great privilege of standing above this issue while wars are waged, innocent people die in illegal detention, and legislation is proposed to limit voting access. Our country’s leadership is already trying to take hold of national elections through their actions in Texas and other states, and we will deliver midterms to this tyranny if we do not fight back.
The referendum, careful in its text and insistent upon the temporary nature of this action, states: “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?”
No doubt, we live in an ever-less perfect democracy, but voting “no” will only make it worse. ELLEN MAYOCK Lexington
