Virginia scheduled a special election for April 2026 on a proposed constitutional amendment to temporarily bypass the state's bipartisan redistricting commission and redraw congressional districts. To place the congressional map referendum on the ballot, Virginia lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment in two separate legislative sessions, with an election in between, to temporarily bypass the state's redistricting commission.

The Virginia Supreme Court allowed the special election to proceed while reserving the right to rule on the referendum's legality after the election. Under the proposed map, Democrats could gain as many as four of the five seats currently held by Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.

The proposed constitutional amendment would return congressional mapmaking powers to the bipartisan redistricting commission after the 2030 census. Several years ago, Virginia Democrats backed the formation of the state's bipartisan redistricting commission.

Governor Abigail Spanberger recorded a video expressing her support for the redistricting referendum. "Virginia voters deserve the opportunity to respond to the President's nationwide pressure campaign," Spanberger said.

The group Virginians for Fair Elections spent or reserved $17.2 million on ads from January 1 through April 21, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The group Virginians for Fair Maps spent or reserved $1 million on ads during the same period. Democrats hold a fundraising and ad spending advantage heading into the April 2026 special election in Virginia.

"It's not a done deal by any means. We have to effectively make the case that even though this seems unfair in Virginia, it's totally fair for America, for those of us who believe that taking back the House is the most important thing we can do to stop Donald Trump," said U.S. Representative Don Beyer.

Ads run by Virginians for Fair Maps criticized the process used by Democratic lawmakers and linked it to opposition to Trump and Republicans on immigration. A group opposed to the referendum sent mailers targeting Black voters with Jim Crow-era images, leading to public criticism.

Early voting numbers indicated higher participation rates for Republican voters in the referendum election. A mid-January 2026 Christopher Newport University poll of Virginia registered voters found that 63% favored the current map-drawing process, 51% backed the temporary constitutional amendment, and 43% opposed it.

President Donald Trump pressured GOP-led states to redraw their congressional maps to shore up the party's narrow House majority. Six states, including Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina, enacted new congressional maps last year.