By Saddam Salim
Since the 2024 election, President Donald Trump has openly and repeatedly urged Republican-controlled states to redraw their congressional maps mid-cycle, not because of new census data, not to correct legal defects, but to lock in partisan advantage before the 2026 midterms.
His executive orders, which are not laws, have proven so unpopular and morally wrong that people across the country have risen up and marched to demand accountability. Trump has made clear that he views control of the U.S. House as essential to sustaining his influence in Washington and he expects state legislatures to do the legwork.
And he has a powerful lieutenant in this effort: Vice President J.D. Vance.
Vance has publicly called for “decisive action” on redistricting. He has argued that Republicans must respond to aggressive Democratic mapmaking by fighting fire with fire, pretending that California was the first to redistrict, when we all know it was Texas. He has personally visited states like Indiana multiple times, pressing state legislative leaders to adopt new maps favorable to the GOP.
In Indiana, his pressure has been direct. Vance has met privately with the governor, legislative leaders, and caucus members, making it clear that states that remain passive risk paying a political price. That is not subtle persuasion, it is political leverage from the highest levels of the national party.
Too many states have bowed under this pressure.
- Texas led the way: its legislature passed a new congressional map targeting five Democratic-held districts, in explicit alignment with Trump’s calls.
- Missouri followed, convening a special session and enacting a map that weakens Democratic districts.
- North Carolina’s GOP lawmakers are now advancing a new map designed to add another Republican seat, essentially bending the knee to Trump’s dictates.
- And others have followed
In each of these states, the public call from Trump or Vance was quickly endorsed and implemented by their legislatures. The message was clear: obey or lose. And many did.
These states are changing the rules mid-game. And if Virginia stays idle while others rewrite the playing field, we risk watching our voters’ voices diluted, not by democracy, but by design.
That is why I support Virginia’s redistricting amendment that we began this week.
This amendment is not about chasing power. It’s about protecting fairness. It gives Virginia the ability, under strict limits, to respond if other states redraw their maps for partisan gain.
It does not replace the independent redistricting commission Virginians created. It does not hand unchecked power to politicians.It simply ensures that if others tip the scales, Virginia has the tools to stand on even ground. And most importantly, voters will still have the final say through referendum.
That is not a loophole for partisanship; it is an insurance policy for democracy.
We must be honest with ourselves: democracy is not self-correcting. It does not defend itself.
If we sit quietly while others rig the system, then democracy will not die in darkness, it will die right in front of us, in plain sight, while we look the other way.
This amendment says: not here. Not in Virginia.
We will not bend the knee to those who weaponize redistricting for power. We will not surrender the integrity of our elections to the loudest national voices. We will defend democracy because it cannot defend itself.
This is not about left or right. It’s about whether the rules of representation belong to the people or to those who seek to manipulate them.
Let us act with courage and conviction. Let us show that Virginia still stands for fairness, for balance, and for a democracy that fights back.
