FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Voters have approved a referendum that puts next year’s redistricting in Virginia in the hands of a bipartisan commission.
The amendment to the state constitution caps a yearslong effort by reformers looking to end partisan gerrymandering.
A bipartisan commission of citizens and legislators equally divided between Democrats and Republicans will now redraw the state’s congressional and General Assembly districts to conform with the 2020 Census.
Some Democrats had tried to defeat the measure, arguing that the changes keep politicians too involved in the process.
Republicans said Democrats were simply trying to preserve the status quo now that they’re in power so they could draw the lines to their advantage.
