Why Virginia's Radical Redistricting Attempt is Mobilizing Gen Z
by Drew DiMeglio
A blatant Democrat gerrymander is causing Zoomers to get active in politics.
Virginia is the latest in a large line of states pursuing mid-decade redistricting efforts. That's where the similarities end.
Unlike states whose state legislatures draw congressional lines, Virginia has a bipartisan redistricting commission formed of 16 citizens and lawmakers whose proposed maps require a supermajority of legislators in the General Assembly.
This commission was given the power to draw congressional maps after a 2020 amendment was approved by the vast majority of Virginians. The result of the commission has been clear: Virginia's current Congressional districts were given an A rating for partisan fairness by the Princeton Gerrymandering Project.
The partisan apportionment lines up with recent statewide partisan results. Six out of the eleven districts are held by Democrats (55%), and five out of the eleven districts are held by Republicans (45%). That meshed with 2024 presidential election results, when Kamala Harris won 52% of the commonwealth's vote, while Donald Trump captured 46%.
Despite the clear results of this commission to bring fair representation to Virginians, state Democrats are determined to recapture power for themselves with a constitutional amendment transferring power from the commission to the legislature. This special election is slated for April 21st.
The maps proposed by legislative Democrats constitute one of the most radical gerrymanders in the country. The new maps would very likely shift the commonwealth's congressional representation from 6 Democrats and 5 Republicans to 10 Democrats and 1 Republican.
The language used for the special election itself has emerged as a point of concern. The ballot question includes the language that the redistricting effort is to "temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections." This language has so confused voters that signs have emerged at early voting locations stating that election workers are not allowed to discuss the proposed amendment on the ballot.
It is not simply that the map is radically partisan, or that the ballot language is confusing, but also that the newly elected Democratic Governor, Abigail Spanberger, stated during her campaign that she had no plans to redistrict. Not only is this campaign to redistrict radical, but it is built on lies.
Young Virginians are Waking Up
The new maps could affect Virginia colleges in a major way. Liberty University and Hampden-Sydney College, where I am a student, would be taken from a district that currently leans Republican to two districts that now lean Democratic. James Madison University and Virginia Tech would be drawn out of their current firmly Republican districts, into the same Democratic district as Liberty University.
From the radical nature of the redistricting to the broken campaign promises to how it impacts their colleges, young Virginians are mobilizing against the redistricting amendment.
As President of the Hampden-Sydney College Republicans, I know this firsthand. In February, with the backing of my club membership, I penned a letter to the editor of the Farmville Herald signaling our opposition to the redistricting effort that would affect our historic college firsthand.
Students from across the commonwealth are rallying to our cause with support from Virginia's Turning Point Action Gen-Z Coalition. Coalition Co-Chair Andrew McKnight told me they "[want] the commonwealth and the country to know that Gen Z is conservative." He also described some of the activities the group is undertaking: "We're activating young people on campuses across the commonwealth to protect fair representation in Congress through door knocks and on-campus voter drives."
Students at James Madison University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Virginia also signaled their opposition to the redistricting attempt. Students shared their concerns about how the maps pack students together like widgets, the future of bipartisanship in the commonwealth, and how the special election might take advantage of politically uniformed students.
The opposition displayed by students is simply a microcosm of a larger trend across the commonwealth. In a March 17th special election, Republicans overperformed by 22 points compared to the last general election in a special election in Virginia House District 98. Many point to the radical redistricting attempt as a mobilizing factor for Republican voters.
Leftist groups have poured money into advertisements and efforts in an attempt to will the amendment to pass, with George Soros-connected Fund for Policy Reform contributing $5 million earlier this month.
Virginians are faced with two paths.
On the one hand, Virginians can allow ourselves to be used as pawns in a national political fight and allow our votes to be sold to the highest bidder—a billionaire New York leftist.
On the other hand, Virginians can continue a centuries-old tradition that keeps us above the fray, upholds our founding principles, and refuses to allow our voices to be bought by a Hungarian-born billionaire.
Zoomers know this. They are tired of being used, lied to, and manipulated for political gain. Gen Z is already undergoing a massive rightward shift. Now in 2026, we are leading the fight against Virginia's unfair redistricting attempt.
The stance of young Virginians should stand as a warning to those who might pursue similar actions. My generation will not be duped, bought, or used as a chess piece in a political game.
Republished with permission from Restoration News.
