The Virginia Supreme Court heard a lawsuit filed by Republicans on Monday, focusing on whether the state's Democratic-controlled legislature followed proper constitutional procedures when submitting a new congressional redistricting plan to voters for approval. The plan was narrowly approved by voters last week and could potentially give Democrats a net gain of four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, plaintiffs argue that when the legislature first passed the constitutional amendment resolution, early voting in Virginia had already begun, thus violating the constitutional requirement of "two successive legislative sessions separated by an intervening state election." If the court accepts this argument, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote null and void. The court did not issue an immediate ruling on the matter. This case is the latest development in the nationwide battle over redistricting ahead of the midterm elections. Following former President Trump’s call last summer for Texas Republicans to redraw district lines, multiple states have taken similar actions, while Democrats have pushed forward a new map in Virginia that favors their party. The central legal dispute centers on how the term "election" should be interpreted: lawyers representing Democrats argue it should be limited to Election Day itself, meaning the legislature’s initial vote in October of last year occurred before the election and therefore complied with constitutional requirements. In contrast, the plaintiffs’ attorneys contend that "election" includes the several weeks of early voting, rendering the vote too late and depriving voters of the opportunity to assess candidates’ stances on the constitutional amendment prior to casting their ballots. Additionally, as mentioned above, the new map proposed by Florida Governor DeSantis may help Republicans gain seats, offsetting any potential gains Democrats might otherwise achieve in Virginia.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863689823755465/
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