As Virginia voters prepare to decide a high-stakes redistricting referendum in voting that concludes on election day next Tuesday, April 21, a relentless wave of misleading advertising and controversial messaging by pro-Trump ‘Vote No’ proponents is sowing confusion and raising alarms among election officials, civil rights leaders, and political observers.
The News-Press, along with Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, former U.S. President Barack Obama and many other responsible leaders have urged a ‘Vote Yes’ on the referendum.
The ballot measure would temporarily give the Democrat-controlled General Assembly the power to redraw congressional district lines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections—authority currently held by a bipartisan commission established in 2020. Supporters argue the move is necessary to counter aggressive partisan redistricting ordered by President Trump in Republican-led states.
Early voting in the election concludes Saturday, and the final election day is next Tuesday. Polling places in the three precincts of Falls Church will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day.
In recent weeks, voters across the state—particularly in Black communities—have reported receiving mailers and text messages from ‘Vote No’ proponents containing misleading claims about who supports or opposes the referendum. Some of the materials falsely suggest that prominent Democrats, including former President Barack Obama and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, oppose the measure, despite clear evidence to the contrary.
The News-Press was among the first mainstream news organizations to call out the deception campaign by pro-Trump elements in its April 2 edition that identified in a Page One article the role of billionaire Trumper Peter Thiel in bankrolling the effort with up to $5 million in contributions. Later, an article in the Washington Post confirmed the Thiel role in an April 10 story.
Many ‘Vote No’ ads have gone further, drawing widespread condemnation for invoking imagery from the civil rights era. Flyers and mailers distributed by groups opposing the referendum have featured references to Jim Crow laws and even images of the Ku Klux Klan, implying that the redistricting proposal would harm Black voters. Civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, have denounced these tactics as “manipulative” and “misinformation,” warning that they echo historical efforts to suppress minority voting.
“It’s a lot of confusion,” one NAACP leader said at a recent community meeting, describing how the ads have muddied public understanding of the ballot question.
Television ads, billboards, and flyers have also come under scrutiny for using images of political figures in ways that imply endorsements that do not exist. Election officials warn that such tactics, while not always illegal, can blur the line between persuasion and deception.
Several Virginia political leaders, elected officials, and civil rights advocates have publicly condemned the deceptive advertising and misinformation surrounding the April 21 redistricting referendum. Their statements have focused on both the misleading content and the use of racially charged imagery.
State Attorney General Jay Jones issued one of the strongest rebukes, accusing outside groups of deliberately misleading voters—particularly Black voters—through inflammatory tactics. He said the ads “deliberately exploit the history of Jim Crow and the Civil Rights Movement to mislead Black voters and suppress participation.”
Several members of Virginia’s U.S. House delegation released a joint statement condemning the mailers. They “strongly condemn the deceptive and offensive mailers being sent to Black voters across Virginia.” The statement added that the materials “misuse imagery from the Civil Rights Movement… weaponizing one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history… to scare voters and manipulate the outcome.”
Congressman Bobby Scott criticized the broader misinformation environment and its impact on voters. “The problem with misinformation is, if you don’t respond to it, people will believe it… we gotta spend time responding to this nonsense.”
State Sen. Mamie Locke, chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, emphasized the harm of racially targeted messaging. She called the mailers “deeply offensive and deceptive,” warning they manipulate historical trauma to influence voters.
Civil rights leaders affiliated with the NAACP have been among the most vocal critics. Gaylene Kanoyton (NAACP Virginia State Conference political action chair) warned voters, “Don’t be fooled into voting ‘no,’” describing the campaign as rooted in misleading claims and out-of-context quotes. NAACP leaders more broadly said they were “standing… to fight against that disinformation” so voters can make informed decisions. anoyton also noted the confusion these tactics create, saying, “It’s a lot of confusion… no different than when… they tried to scare people out of voting.”
Wes Bellamy (Virginia State University, former Charlottesville vice mayor) criticized the use of respected Black leaders’ words out of context. He called the tactic “distasteful, dishonest… and poor politics,” warning of backlash against efforts to “misinform and trick voters.”
