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Virginia House Democrats wasted little time flexing their new majority on the opening day of the 2026 General Assembly, pushing through four proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday aimed at reshaping some of the state鈥檚 most consequential political and civil rights debates 鈥� including one that would allow lawmakers to redraw Virginia鈥檚 congressional map mid-decade.
The measures, approved after clearing the House Privileges and Elections Committee earlier in the day, seek to protect abortion rights, restore voting rights for people with felony convictions, remove a defunct ban on same-sex marriage and 鈥� most controversially 鈥� grant the General Assembly limited authority to modify congressional districts outside the traditional 10-year redistricting cycle.
All four amendments now head to the Senate, where Democrats also hold the majority.
House Democratic leaders framed the aggressive opening-day push as a response to recent national court rulings, partisan redistricting battles in other states and what they described as an urgent need to let voters 鈥� not politicians or courts 鈥� decide the future of fundamental rights.
Redistricting amendment draws fire
The most politically charged of the four measures is聽, a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a narrow, temporary exception allowing the General Assembly to redraw one or more congressional districts outside the standard decennial cycle under specific circumstances.
Under the proposal, lawmakers could act if another state redraws its congressional map mid-decade for reasons other than complying with a state or federal court order. The authority would apply only to congressional districts 鈥� not state legislative lines 鈥� and would expire in 2030.
Democrats argue the amendment is necessary to counter aggressive Republican gerrymanders elsewhere that could tilt control of Congress, while Republicans call it a blatant power grab that undermines Virginia voters鈥� 2020 decision to create an independent redistricting commission.
鈥淭his amendment creates essentially a narrow, temporary exception,鈥� said Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, the measure鈥檚 sponsor. He emphasized repeatedly that the proposal does not automatically redraw any lines and does not eliminate the Virginia Redistricting Commission.
鈥淲e are not expanding the authority to change the state district lines,鈥� Willett said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just talking about congressional lines. And more importantly, it does not change any of the lines as they exist today 鈥� this just creates the process to consider doing that.鈥�
April special election timeline
If the amendment ultimately passes the Senate this session, it would be placed on the ballot during a special statewide election in April, rather than waiting until November 鈥� a compressed timeline that Democrats say reflects the urgency of ongoing redistricting fights across the country.
鈥溾�嬧�媁e鈥檙e going to focus on today so we鈥檒l get that out of the House and the Senate,鈥� said Del. Cia Price, D-Newport 草莓传媒, chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, during a news conference Wednesday morning.
鈥淎nd then we are looking at a special election for a statewide referendum to have the voters have their say in potentially April. And then once that kicks in, if the voters were to give us that power, we would then be looking at a modified schedule for the primaries, and then our November elections will happen as scheduled.鈥�
Republicans have warned that the move could open the door to dramatic changes in Virginia鈥檚 congressional delegation. Democratic leaders have openly discussed the possibility of drawing a map that would yield聽, leaving just one Republican-friendly seat anchored in Southwest Virginia.
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, rejected that characterization of the state.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not a 10-1 state, we鈥檙e not a 9-2 state,鈥� Kilgore told reporters Wednesday morning. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a close, 6-5 state, and some of those congressional seats are very competitive.鈥�
Republicans have also tried 鈥� unsuccessfully 鈥� to stop the amendment in court.
A judge in Tazewell County on Tuesday聽聽from GOP lawmakers seeking to halt the General Assembly from advancing the proposal before the session began.听, the judge emphasized that courts cannot interfere with the constitutional amendment process while it is still underway.
鈥淧laintiffs鈥� motion at its core requests the Court to invade the province of the Legislature prior to the final actions of the Legislature,鈥� the judge wrote, citing long-standing separation-of-powers principles.
The court also rejected an attempt to bypass legislative immunity by targeting legislative clerks, finding they were simply performing their official duties.
Sharp debate in committee
During Tuesday鈥檚 committee debate, Republicans warned the amendment reverses reforms voters approved just four years ago.
鈥淲e鈥檙e using this 鈥榚nd justifies the means鈥� method,鈥� said Del. Israel O鈥橯uinn, R-Washington. He argued that the amendment was improperly introduced after the 2025 election season聽聽and pointed to social media posts showing potential maps.
鈥淚t concerns me that we鈥檙e attempting to go back to the battle days of gerrymandering,鈥� O鈥橯uinn said.
Democrats countered that the amendment preserves flexibility without mandating any outcome and ultimately leaves the decision to voters.
鈥淭his does not change any of the lines as they exist today, this just creates the process to consider doing that, but it does not mandate that these lines be changed,鈥� Willett said.
Other amendments headed for November
While the redistricting proposal is expected to dominate debate this spring, the other three amendments are slated to appear on November鈥檚 ballot.
One would remove a 2006 ban on聽聽from Virginia鈥檚 constitution 鈥� language that has been unenforceable since the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 2015 ruling but remains on the books.
Supporters say the amendment is a safeguard should the court revisit marriage equality, something Justice Clarence Thomas suggested after the court overturned federal abortion protections.
聽would automatically restore voting rights to people with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. Virginia is one of the few states where former felons permanently lose voting rights unless restored by the governor, a process critics say聽.
The third and most divisive proposal would聽聽in the state constitution.
It advanced last year聽, shouting and a call of 鈥渙ut of order鈥� in the Senate chamber, and has only moved forward because of Democratic control.
Every Republican lawmaker has opposed the abortion amendment, and GOP leaders have previously backed near-total bans or a 15-week limit without exceptions for fetal anomalies.
Since the fall of federal protections, Virginia has become the only Southern state without extensive abortion restrictions, leading to聽聽in out-of-state patients seeking care.
Like the redistricting amendment, final approval of all three measures would rest with voters.
Price said the package of amendments reflects how interconnected the issues before lawmakers have become, particularly amid recent actions by President Donald Trump and Republican-controlled legislatures across the country.
鈥溾�楾here is no such thing as a single issue struggle,鈥欌�� she said, referencing a quote from civil rights activist Audrey Lorde. 鈥淲e do not lead single-issue lives, and I feel like that is more true today, now than ever in my lifetime, because of the actions of Trump and Republican-led state legislatures.鈥�
