Virginia's Redistricting Vote: Fair Maps or Power Grab?

0:00On April 20th, Virginia's voters hit the polls tomorrow on a big ballet question about redistricting. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin is rallying hard for a no vote, slamming the measure as a power grab that hands MAP drawing back to the Democrat lead. Legislature. Right now, the state runs an independent commission set up in 2020, keeping things fair with six Democrats and five Republicans in the U.S. House seats. This push comes from Democrats like Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, who want to ditch that commission early. Their proposed MAPs would flip things big time, creating 10 districts that went for Kamala Harris last year and just won for Donald Trump. It would only pause the independent process until 2030. Youngkin calls the current set up the fairest in America, even if he is not thrilled with the six to five split. He is warning it could become the most gerrymandered map around, and folks from both parties are pushing back. Even some papers like the Washington Post flagged the yes campaign as super dishonest.

1:01A fresh poll from early April showed 52% yes to 47% no, among likely voters. But Republicans and their leaning independence are way more fired up, with 85% locked in to vote compared to 77% of Democrats. Democrats dumped $70 million into this, more than on the governor's race. Barrel is due or die for keeping MAPs fair in Virginia. Youngkin says independence and even some Democrats are joining the no side, making it a nail-biter battle over who really controls the lines. That's the story for today. US News Today, Driven by AI