‘MAGA has rigged the system’: Democrats slam Virginia Supreme Court for overruling voters on redistricting

Friday, May 8

Virginia Supreme Court rules congressional map voters approved last month to counter GOP gerrymanders cannot go into effect

The decision overturns the will of voters for technical reasons and gives Republicans a leg up in the 2026 midterms.
Democrats slammed the court for overruling voters, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) saying: “MAGA has rigged the system.” Democrats also filed a motion with the Virginia Supreme Court asking for a stay in its ruling.
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GOP maps are hurtling through other states – here’s the latest:

South Carolina: Lawmakers advanced a bill that would delay the state’s ongoing primary until August for lawmakers to potentially pass a new GOP gerrymander before the midterms. Today 23 South Carolina residents testified against redistricting and moving the state’s primaries. No one spoke in support.
Alabama: Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law a GOP gerrymandering plan designed to strip Black voters of political representation. The measure won’t immediately go into effect. Alabama is currently bound by a legal agreement to use its court-ordered congressional map until 2030, and it can only implement the redistricting legislation if federal courts lift the injunction.
Tennessee: The new map eliminating the state's only majority-Black and Democratic district is enacted. The NAACP filed a lawsuit challenging the scope of the special session.
Louisiana: Today, a legislative committee began hearings on a new map. "If you are taking seats from Black people...then you are a thief,” civil rights activist Gary Chambers said as GOP lawmakers pushed to wipe out Louisiana’s majority-Black districts.
Florida: The GOP’s gerrymandered map is in effect. We're tracking three lawsuits in response.

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‘Power grab to erase Black voices’: Southern voting groups rally against all the above

After SCOTUS gutted the Voting Rights Act last week, Southern voting rights groups committed to fight the rush of GOP gerrymandering — an effort one organization called a “coordinated escalation.”
“We are seeing states… reminding the country exactly why those protections existed in the first place.”
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Democrats launch New York plan to counter nationwide GOP gerrymanders

Top Democrats in New York are spearheading new redistricting strategies in response to Republican gerrymander efforts. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats “will not unilaterally disarm” as GOP-led states move to expand partisan advantages.

New Jersey prepared to push back against GOP gerrymander crusade

Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) said New Jersey is also exploring ways to respond to Republican-led gerrymanders following the Supreme Court’s ruling. While constitutional limits make immediate map changes difficult, the state is also advancing broader pro-voting measures, including expanded early voting and a proposed state voting rights act.

Missouri court removes biased language from gerrymander referendum

A Missouri appeals court sided with voting rights advocates and revised biased ballot language for a proposed referendum challenging the state’s new congressional map. The ruling strips out some of the most misleading wording previously approved by GOP state officials. If the referendum qualifies for the ballot, voters will now see more neutral language describing the Trump-backed gerrymander.