Virginia Democrats' Gerrymandering Scheme Has Failed and Will Not Succeed
Source: M.D. Kittle. "Virginia Dems' Last Hope Of Saving Rigged Maps 'Is Dead'." May 15, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that Virginia Democrats tried to redraw congressional maps to gain more seats, but their plan has completely failed. The state supreme court stopped them for breaking constitutional rules, and it's too late to implement new maps anyway.
Conclusion
Virginia Democrats' attempt to redraw congressional maps through constitutional amendment has definitively failed and will not be implemented
Premises
- The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Democrats violated the state constitution in their amendment process
- The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to reject Democrats' appeal without comment on Friday
- Virginia's governor has acknowledged that the deadline to implement new maps has passed
- Democrats used an 'unprecedented manner' that violated the intervening-election requirement
- The referendum process was flawed with misleading ballot language and 3-to-1 spending advantage
- Democrats' legal arguments about single election day contradict their own support for extended early voting
Assumptions
- The Virginia Supreme Court's interpretation of the state constitution is correct
- The U.S. Supreme Court will not intervene in state constitutional matters
- Electoral deadlines are legally binding and cannot be extended
- Procedural violations invalidate otherwise legitimate electoral outcomes