Virginia Gerrymandering Amendment is Illegitimate Due to Out-of-State Funding
Source: Shawn Fleetwood. "Most Funds Backing Gerrymandering Bid Come From Outside VA." April 9, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that Virginia voters should reject a ballot measure about redistricting because most of the money supporting it comes from outside Virginia, not from Virginians themselves. He sees this as proof that the measure serves outside interests rather than Virginia's interests.
Conclusion
The Virginia gerrymandering amendment should be rejected because it is primarily funded by out-of-state interests rather than Virginians themselves
Premises
- More than 90 percent of the $50 million supporting 'Virginians for Fair Elections' comes from out-of-state Democrat-aligned organizations
- The largest donors are D.C.-based House Majority Forward ($29.3 million), D.C.-based Fairness Project ($11.02 million), and New York-based Fund for Policy Reform ($5 million)
- These organizations have explicit partisan goals and ties to national Democratic leadership
- The amendment would dramatically alter Virginia's congressional map from 6D-5R to 10D-1R, effectively disenfranchising rural Virginians
- The campaign uses deceptive language calling the gerrymandering scheme 'fair' and about 'protecting democracy'
- Democrats typically criticize 'dark money' influence in elections, making their acceptance of this funding hypocritical
Assumptions
- Out-of-state funding inherently delegitimizes political campaigns and ballot measures
- The source of funding determines the legitimacy of a political argument
- Virginians should primarily decide Virginia issues without outside influence
- The current 6D-5R map is more legitimate than the proposed 10D-1R map
- Rural Virginians would be 'disenfranchised' by the new map rather than having proportional representation