May 8, 2026, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government Executive Director Robert Romano today issued the following statement praising the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the redistricting referendum:

“The Virginia Supreme Court has done the right thing by reverting Virginia’s Congressional District map to its prior version after voters were denied the opportunity to fully weigh in on the map as the proposal was approved after voting had already started in the 2025 election. There was no intervening general election between the legislature’s mandatory first and second approvals giving voters the opportunity to evaluate candidates based on the proposal, denying voters the chance to weigh in on the proposal. Those constitutional provisions are in place for good reason, and we applaud the court for upholding what the Virginia Constitution plainly states. Nothing precludes the Virginia legislature from trying the same thing again later, but they must follow the constitutional process and give voters a chance to weigh in.”

Attachments:

Scott v. McDougle, May 8, 2026 at https://www.vacourts.gov/static/opinions/opnscvwp/1260127.pdf : “The General Assembly must twice vote in favor of a proposed amendment at two separate legislative sessions with an intervening election of the House of Delegates. This gives voters two opportunities — one indirect, the other direct — to voice their views on the proposed amendment. The first is during the intervening-election period between the two legislative sessions. Voters can support or defeat candidates for the House of Delegates who either endorse or oppose the proposed amendment. If the General Assembly votes against it at the next legislative session, the process ends there. If the General Assembly votes in favor of the proposal, voters get a second direct opportunity to vote the proposed amendment up or down at the ballot box. The efficacy of the second popular vote depends in part upon the reliability of the first.”

For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.

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