Voters in Virginia on Tuesday were projected to approve a constitutional amendment paving the way for new congressional maps to be used in this year’s midterms, the latest turn in the monthslong redistricting wars playing out across the country.
Democrats could gain up to four seats in the House of Representatives through the new Virginia maps. The ballot question was a closely followed contest in a state that was one of the Democrats’ last remaining opportunities to make congressional districts more favorable to the party ahead of the midterms.
Virginia Democrats currently hold six of the state’s 11 congressional seats. The new maps would make 10 seats Democratic-leaning, based on recent voting history, with one district in the southwest part of the state remaining heavily Republican.