Redistricting | ALXnow

Democrats ask the Supreme Court to halt a Va. ruling blocking new congressional districts

Published May 11, 2026 at 5:05PM

Charles Houston Recreation Center on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Democrats on Monday filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to halt a Virginia ruling invalidating a ballot measure that would have given their party an additional four winnable U.S. House seats.

The move came after the Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a constitutional amendment that voters narrowly passed just last month. The 4-3 state court decision found that the Democratic-controlled legislature improperly began the process of placing the amendment on the ballot after early voting had begun in the Virginia’s general election last fall.

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Alexandria NAACP, elected officials slam Virginia Supreme Court’s redistricting ruling

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published May 11, 2026 at 1:45PM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Elected officials representing Alexandria have joined the Alexandria NAACP in condemning the Virginia Supreme Court’s overturning of the redistricting referendum.

Voters had narrowly approved the referendum to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts — with 51.69% in favor — on April 21. The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the voter-approved constitutional amendment in a 4-3 ruling Friday (May 8), with the majority citing procedural violations in how the amendment was placed on the ballot.

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UPDATED: Virginia Supreme Court strikes down Democrats’ redrawn US House maps

By The Associated Press

Published May 8, 2026 at 11:00AM | Updated May 8, 2026 at 3:16PM

Voters at Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, delivering another major setback to the party in a nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections.

The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, but the court’s ruling renders the vote’s result meaningless.

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‘Ridiculous,’ Mayor Gaskins calls GOP bill to return Alexandria and Arlington to D.C.

By James Cullum

Published April 27, 2026 at 1:45PM

A sailboat on the Potomac River (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins is calling a congressional bill to make Alexandria and Arlington part of D.C. “silliness,” “ridiculous,” and a “huge distraction.”

In a recent Facebook post, Gaskins said U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s (R-Ga.) Make DC Square Again Act would upend the rights of residents in both jurisdictions. McCormick introduced the bill after the narrow passage of a statewide redistricting referendum on April 21, which gives Democrats the power to redraw congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections.

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Virginia Supreme Court hears challenge to voter-approved redistricting amendment

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published April 27, 2026 at 11:45AM

Signs at Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Virginia Supreme Court judges on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House.

A Republican challenge to the redistricting plan, which could net Democrats four additional seats and won narrow voter approval last week, contends that the General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.

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Virginia redistricting amendment passes narrowly, but legal challenges remain

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press

Published April 22, 2026 at 11:45AM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The redistricting amendment passed in Virginia Tuesday will allow Democrats to pursue redrawn congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections.

The Associated Press called the race in favor of the redistricting amendment’s passage at 8:49 p.m. Tuesday. According to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, more than 1.5 million votes (51.45%) supported the amendment and more than 1.4 million (48.6%) opposed.

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Marks claims win in City Council race, Alexandrians largely support redistricting

By Emily Leayman and James Cullum

Published April 21, 2026 at 8:35PM | Updated April 22, 2026 at 5:15PM

Democrat Sandy Marks speaks at Hi/Fi Tex-Mex BBQ in Del Ray after her City Council special election win (staff photo by James Cullum)

Democrat Sandy Marks has claimed victory in the special election for City Council Tuesday, and Alexandrians overwhelmingly voted yes on the redistricting constitutional amendment.

According to unofficial election results, Marks leads with 53.37% of votes over independent candidates Frank Fannon (29.41%) and Alison O’Connell (15.02%), 32 precincts reporting vote tallies. There have been 51,256 ballots cast out of 116,366 registered voters, representing 44% turnout.

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Turnout tops 42% as redistricting vote, City Council race draw Alexandrians to polls

By James Cullum

Published April 21, 2026 at 3:55PM | Updated April 21, 2026 at 4:29PM

Charles Houston Recreation Center on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

More than 42% of registered Alexandria voters have headed to the polls to vote on today’s congressional redistricting referendum and a special election for an open seat on Alexandria City Council.

As of 4 p.m., 19,183 voters cast in-person ballots across the city, in addition to 22,836 mail-in and in-person early ballots, adding up to 42,019 total ballots cast, according to figures released by Angie Maniglia Turner, the city’s general registrar and elections director. Turner said she is expecting gubernatorial-level turnout on the decision to amend Virginia’s Constitution to allow the General Assembly to temporarily redraw congressional maps for the upcoming election and resume the normal redistricting process after the 2030 U.S. Census.

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Tuesday’s special election ballot includes City Council race, redistricting amendment

By Emily Leayman

Published April 20, 2026 at 9:15AM | Updated April 20, 2026 at 5:12PM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Tuesday, April 21 marks Election Day in Alexandria for a statewide redistricting voter referendum and a special election for a City Council seat.

Candidates in the City Council special election are Democrat Sandy Marks and independent candidates Alison O’Connell and Frank Fannon. Marks is the former chair of the Alexandria Democratic Committee, Fannon is a former Republican member of City Council from 2009 to 2012, and O’Connell is a founding member of Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights.

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Alexandria’s Olivia Troye plans move to run for redrawn 7th Congressional District

By Emily Leayman

Published April 15, 2026 at 10:30AM

Olivia Troye, an Alexandria resident, announced a campaign for the 7th Congressional District (courtesy of Olivia Troye campaign)

Alexandria resident Olivia Troye, once part of the Trump administration, is joining the growing field of Democratic 7th Congressional District candidates running as Virginia voters consider redrawn districts.

Troye is a former career intelligence officer who served as an aide to former Vice President Mike Pence. She made national headlines after resigning from her post at the White House under President Donald Trump in 2020 and is now running as a Democrat in the 7th Congressional District.

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Groups hosting pro- and anti-redistricting events this week in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published April 8, 2026 at 4:30PM

Signs supporting and opposing redistricting on April 6, 2026 in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Two opposing events will be held in Alexandria this week ahead of the April 21 statewide referendum on redrawing congressional maps.

Virginia Democrats have been pursuing the mid-decade redistricting in response to similar actions in states across the country to gain party control of Congress in November’s midterm elections. A recent Washington Post-Schar School poll shows 52% of likely Virginia voters favoring redistricting. Even if redistricting advances in Alexandria, the city would remain within the 8th Congressional District.