US EditionVirginia Groups Clash over Redistricting Referendum Messaging
Mailers backed by a PAC and a $2.5 million donor draw condemnation for using misleading Obama quotes and civil rights imagery.
- The Virginia NAACP condemned mailers distributed by the Justice for Democracy PAC on Wednesday, accusing them of misrepresenting former President Barack Obama's position on the April 21 redistricting referendum.
- Voters will decide on April 21 whether to suspend Virginia's bipartisan redistricting commission and replace current maps favoring Democrats 6-5 with a plan favoring Democrats 10-1. Proponents argue the measure restores fairness; opponents claim it creates partisan gerrymandering.
- A.C. Cordoza, chair of the Justice for Democracy PAC, defended the messaging, claiming he simply reminds voters of Obama's past anti-gerrymandering statements. However, Obama actively supports the current redistricting referendum, appearing in ads urging voters to vote yes.
- During a Wednesday press conference, NAACP leaders denounced the materials as a disinformation campaign targeting Black voters. The organization also announced plans to host a workshop next Monday to help residents navigate election-related information.
- This dispute reflects broader national conflict over partisan redistricting, with Republicans and Democrats in Texas and California enacting plans to secure seats. The Virginia referendum remains a high-stakes battleground ahead of the 2026 midterms.
14 Articles
14 Articles
InsideNoVA.com
ussanews.comVirginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight
Civil rights leaders in Virginia on Wednesday denounced a political campaign opposing the state’s April 21 redistricting referendum, accusing it of spreading misinformation and exploiting civil rights imagery to sway voters. At a news conference at Maggie L. Walker Memorial…
Virginia’s redistricting fight ramps up as opponents wield Barack Obama’s past comments
An argument over former President Barack Obama’s past comments about gerrymandering reflects the conundrum that worries some Democratic allies ahead of an April 21 referendum. Having promoted nonpartisan redistricting in the past, Obama, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and other top Democrats now have to motivate voters to turn out for a special election to impose a gerrymander.
Virginia groups clash over redistricting referendum messaging
RICHMOND, Va. As early voting surpasses the halfway mark for Virginia's referendum on redrawing congressional districts, groups on both sides of the issue are trading accusations of misleading voters.Voters are being asked to temporarily suspend a voter-approved bipartisan redistricting commission which drew the current maps that favor Democrats 6-5 and replace it with a map that favors Democrats 10-1.The commission would resume its work after t…
Misleading anti-redistricting mailers prompt outcry from AG Jones, Virginia NAACP
A public messaging brawl over Virginia's upcoming redistricting referendum has gotten even messier with new mailers prominently displaying out-of-context quotes from former President Barack Obama. The front of the mailers, which some Arlington households received last week, urges residents to vote against redistricting and quotes Obama as saying, "Let voters decide, not politicians." Obama actually
NAACP warns against 'misleading' referendum mailers from PAC linked to tech billionaire
Records show the political action committee Justice for Democracy, which opposes the April 21 referendum, received a $2.5 million contribution from an entity linked to tech billionaire Peter Thiel.
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