The teams on both aspect of the redistricting vote in Virginia have used pictures of former President Barack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on their mailers.
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When Randi Buerlein arrived to vote early in Virginia’s redistricting election, she mentioned she did not like what she noticed.
“I’m looking at this booth, and it has a big picture of our governor saying, ‘Don’t be fooled,'” Buerlein mentioned at her polling place in Hanover County, speaking about Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. “She’s on TV every day saying, ‘Vote yes.’ But they’re making it look like she’s saying, ‘Vote no.'”
Virginia is within the midst of a contentious vote on whether or not to redraw the state’s congressional voting map, which might give Democrats an edge in all however one of many state’s 11 seats. The new map may end in Democrats gaining 4 seats within the U.S. House.
Democrats received in a landslide within the 2025 gubernatorial election, however Virginia remains to be a reasonably purple state, and Tuesday’s redistricting vote appears to be a toss-up, even because the pro-redistricting aspect has massively outspent its opponents.
Voters say campaigns have muddied the waters on the difficulty, from contradictory junk mail campaigns to a number one poll query.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson provides remarks throughout a rally opposing the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Saturday, April 11, at Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater, Va.
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Even the names of the referendum committees are complicated voters. Virginians for Fair Elections is the group encouraging folks to vote for redistricting. Virginians for Fair Maps is in opposition to redistricting.
And then there are the TV advertisements. While former President Barack Obama has appeared in ads encouraging folks to vote sure this yr, the anti-redistricting TV spot launched by Virginians for Fair Maps makes use of a 2017 video look of Obama speaking against gerrymandering.
But the group’s marketing campaign supervisor mentioned it is Democrats who made issues unclear for voters.
“Any confusion was created by defying court orders, misleading ballot language and the hypocrisy of politicians. This ad simply serves to educate voters,” mentioned Finn Lee in an electronic mail.
Similar advertisements have highlighted Gov. Spanberger’s remark in 2019 that “gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy.” This yr, Spanberger is supporting redistricting mid-decade to offer Democrats an edge within the state. Virginia’s vote is a part of a nationwide battle sparked by President Trump final yr when he inspired Texas and different Republican-led states to redraw maps to learn the GOP forward of this November’s elections.
Trump’s picture has appeared on a billboard for the sure marketing campaign paid for by the Democratic committee in Page County in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. “President Trump says, ‘Take over the voting,'” it learn, “Vote yes on redistricting April 21.”
All of this confusion may depress turnout, mentioned J. Andrew Kuypers, a communications marketing consultant and professor at Virginia Tech.
“The cumulative effect of all of these tactics is really decision fatigue. People are going to experience that, and flat out, that’s going to favor the side with superior resources and the turnout infrastructure.”
As for early voting, although, the numbers aren’t far behind these in final yr’s statewide election when Spanberger was on the poll, in keeping with figures compiled by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project utilizing authorities information.
Dark cash
Adding to the confusion, it is unimaginable for voters to know who’s behind all of the marketing campaign money within the election.
Funding from dark-money groups, 501(c)(4)s structured so donors don’t should be disclosed, has made up the majority of marketing campaign contributions on either side of the difficulty.
The Justice for Democracy PAC, which mailed voters anti-redistricting materials with pictures of the Ku Klux Klan subsequent to the textual content, “They want to silence your voice,” has acquired simply shy of $10 million from Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, a 501(c)(4). The group has been energetic since 2021, however its spending went by the roof throughout the redistricting marketing campaign, elevating questions on who funds it.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, addresses attendees throughout a rally in help of the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Sunday, April 12, in Henrico, Va.
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Virginians for Fair Elections, the group behind the sure vote, has acquired over $64 million in contributions, principally from teams that need not disclose their donors, in keeping with information compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. Two main donors embody the 501(c)(4) The Fairness Project and House Majority Forward, a nonprofit linked to Democratic U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Virginians for Fair Maps, the group behind the no vote, has acquired $19 million throughout six donations from its personal 501(c)(4) — additionally named Virginians for Fair Maps.
“Campaign mailers masquerading as ‘newspapers'”
Free election-related newspaper-like publications from the Virginia Independent are additionally hitting mailboxes. They embody recipes, articles on well being and optimistic protection of the pro-redistricting marketing campaign. The conservative on-line journal, The Federalist, referred to as the Virginia Independent, which is a part of a nationwide media operation, “campaign mailers masquerading as ‘newspapers.'”
The publication’s editor-in-chief, Joe Conason, says the Virginia Independent has had content material on-line since 2021, and publication schedules have various.
“Every story we run is fact-checked, our stories are vetted by counsel to make sure we don’t run afoul of 501(c)(3) rules for partisanship, and in every way, we put out a reputable news publication,” mentioned Conason. “The Virginia Independent definitely has a point of view. At the same time, our aim is really to inform Virginians what’s going on in the state.”
A disclosure on the publication’s web site says it is a part of a 501(c)(4), American Independent Media. The group’s board members embody leaders from left-leaning teams, together with labor unions, NARAL Pro-Choice America (now Reproductive Freedom for All) and Media Matters.
Similar publications were also active throughout the 2025 gubernatorial race in Virginia.
An indication for the “Vote No” marketing campaign exterior of the Goochland County Parks and Recreation workplace on Saturday, April 11, in Goochland County, Va.
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The poll language
In addition to the labyrinth of unclear messaging across the marketing campaign, Republicans say the poll language itself is complicated.
The poll query reads: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”
“Promising to ‘restore fairness’ is not neutral framing. Complaining about someone quoting President Obama, or even Governor Spanberger, accurately? Glass houses and all that,” mentioned Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore in a written assertion.
“I know what I’m voting for, but it’s misleading on that question,” mentioned Casey Czajkowski, a voter in Goochland County. “This is going to lead people to vote yes, 100%, just by reading the question.”
