Richmond, VA – Tomorrow, Virginians will cast the final ballots to decide whether they will allow the legislature to redraw their state’s congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. After weeks of early voting and a campaign that saw misleading advertising directed at voters, backers of the ‘yes’ campaign, including national ballot measure leader the Fairness Project, are eager to see the results when polls close tomorrow evening.
“This is an exciting moment for ballot measures and for American democracy,” said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, which was an early backer of the campaign for new congressional districts. “After witnessing extremist politicians across the country gerrymander their states’ congressional maps to do Donald Trump’s bidding, citizens in one state after another have come together to fight back. That’s exactly how the Virginia campaign took shape.”
Since the campaign, appropriately named ‘Virginians for Fair Elections,’ launched earlier this year, the Fairness Project has contributed nearly $12M to the effort. Funding has been used to support key voter outreach efforts as well as to back a suite of informative advertising featuring respected current and former officials, most notably former President Barack Obama.
In the final days of the race, President Obama’s TV ad backing the ‘yes’ campaign was updated to make the most compelling case to voters. “Virginia, we are counting on you,” begins the 30-second spot with a casually dressed Obama looking straight to camera. It continues with an ominous quote from Donald Trump on screen as President Obama sets forth the stakes for voters: “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years, but you can stop them by voting ‘yes’ by April 21.” The ad is part of the coalition’s $6M statewide ad spend backing the ‘yes’ vote.
“President Obama made the case clearly as always,” commented Hall. “Donald Trump and his allies in several states have taken the unprecedented step of changing congressional maps mid-decade. And they’re doing this before the critical midterm elections when voters will finally have the chance to hold this administration accountable.” She continued, “ballot measures like this one in Virginia have one purpose: to stop this flagrant power grab.”
In addition to robust advertising, the campaign has also mounted ongoing field efforts to reach voters in communities across the commonwealth. Last Saturday, April 11, the coalition held an incredible statewide “Super Saturday” get-out-the-vote (GOTV) event, marking Virginia’s largest-ever turnout on a Saturday during early voting in a statewide contest.
“No matter the outcome, one thing is for sure,” said Hall. “Voters in Virginia have been engaged and energized, willing not only to vote in a special election, but to volunteer their time and energy to support their democracy.”
Polls in Virginia close at 7 PM ET on April 21. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked no later than April 21 and received by the general registrar’s office by noon on April 24. Early voting has been ongoing since March 6.