Virginia voters are casting early ballots at a faster pace than last year’s governor’s race ahead of a special election to decide whether to redraw the state’s congressional district lines, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
The special election, scheduled for April 21, has only one item on the ballot: a referendum on whether to adopt a new congressional map drawn by Virginia’s Democratic-controlled legislature. Early voting runs through April 18.
Congressional districts are the geographic boundaries that determine which voters elect which members of the U.S. House of Representatives. If the referendum passes, the new map would replace the current boundaries drawn by a bipartisan commission in 2021.
As of April 2, a total of 646,584 Virginians had cast early ballots, according to VPAP, a nonpartisan organization that tracks Virginia elections and voting data. That number surpasses the 619,800 early votes cast at the same point during last year’s governor’s race. Of those ballots, 432,203 were cast in person and 214,381 by mail.
Here is how turnout breaks down across Virginia’s 11 congressional districts as of April 3. The 1st Congressional District, represented by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), leads the state with 88,635 ballots cast, followed by the 5th District, represented by Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), with 75,864 ballots; the 6th District, represented by Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), with 69,518 ballots; and the 9th District, represented by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), with 61,250 ballots. The 3rd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), has the fewest early ballots cast at 38,804.
Northern Virginia—the part of the state closest to Washington, and the strongest Democratic region in Virginia—has not yet reached its full early vote potential. The 8th, 10th, and 11th districts, which cover much of that area, rank in the bottom half of the state in early ballots cast. Democrats are counting on that region to close the gap before election Day.
If the referendum passes, the Democratic-drawn map could shift Virginia’s congressional delegation from six Democrats and five Republicans to as many as 10 Democrats and one Republican. Democrats drew the new map as a response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states, including Texas, which redrew its own congressional lines to benefit Republicans at the urging of President Donald Trump.
Former President Barack Obama has appeared in mailers and video ads urging Virginia voters to approve the new map. Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, has publicly backed the referendum and cast her own early ballot.
Legal Challenges
The referendum is facing two separate legal challenges at the same time. In the first, a Tazewell County judge ruled Democrats broke state law in placing the measure on the ballot. Democrats appealed, and Virginia’s Supreme Court allowed the vote to proceed—but has not yet ruled on whether the referendum is actually legal.
In the second, the Republican National Committee and two Virginia Republican congressmen obtained a court order attempting to block election officials from preparing for the vote. That order has also been appealed. Briefs in both cases are due two days after the April 21 election.
The Virginia Republican Party, the Virginia Democratic Party, and the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the early voting turnout so far.
