RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia voters will head to the polls Tuesday for a special election to decide whether to temporarily redraw the state's 11 congressional districts ahead of November's midterm elections.
The constitutional amendment asks voters to temporarily suspend a voter-approved bipartisan redistricting commission. The current map gives Democrats a 6 to 5 advantage, while the proposed new maps would favor Democrats 10 to 1.
As Election Day nears, campaigns for both sides rallied voters this weekend. Both Republicans and Democrats plan to hold more events on Monday.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger held a rally in Henrico County on Saturday, telling voters a "yes" vote would counter gerrymandering in other states.
"This vote says that right now we the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia," Spanberger said. "We want to stand up, reject what we're seeing coming out of Washington to ensure we can be a counterweight to the actions of Texas or Missouri or North Carolina in a temporary fashion."
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The redistricting effort is backed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Democrats argue the redraw is a temporary measure to counter actions taken by Republican-controlled states at the behest of President Donald Trump.
"We need to restore balance in this country, and we need to do everything that we can to make sure that we have a Congress that will stand up for Americans," House Speaker Don Scott previously said. "We absolutely need a barrier between Donald Trump and the harm that he's causing to the people of the country and the people of the Commonwealth. Right now, he has no partner in Congress," Scott said.
Opponents of the redistricting plan have raised concerns about how the redrawn map would affect representation across the state and return Virginia to gerrymandering.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin and former Attorney General Jason Miyares held a rally Sunday night in Virginia Beach, saying a "no" vote keeps Virginia's maps fair and honest.
"The new map is crazy and what it does is take Northern Virginia and inject it into the entire state," Youngkin said.
WATCH: Virginians share their voices on redistricting referendum
"Do you really want Fairfax County to be representing most of Virginia, the Valley, down into Powhatan, all these places? Vote no, because we need to keep our congressional seats compact. We're not a 10-1 state," House Minority Leader Del. Terry Kilgore previously said.
Virginia Republicans filed two lawsuits in Tazewell Circuit Court challenging the legality of the process, resulting in temporary pauses. The Virginia Supreme Court lifted those pauses and is allowing the vote to proceed, but will take up the merits of the case at a later date.
This means that if voters approve the referendum, the court could rule the process invalid and nullify the results of the vote.
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