Virginia voters report feeling confused and misled regarding the redistricting vote, with misleading campaign mailers featuring images of prominent political figures. Some voters expressed frustration over the conflicting messages presented at polling places.
Key points
Virginia voters feel confused about the redistricting vote
Campaign mailers use images of Barack Obama and Gov. Spanberger
Voters report misleading visuals at polling places
Conflicting messages create frustration among voters
Mentioned in this story
Barack ObamaAbigail Spanberger
The groups on of the redistricting vote in Virgina have used images of former President Brack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on their mailers.
The groups on either side of the redistricting vote in Virginia have used images of former President Barack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger on their mailers.
Jahd Khalil/VPM News
Jahd Khalil/VPM News
When Randi Buerlein arrived to vote early in Virginia's redistricting election, she said she didn't like what she saw.
"I'm looking at this booth, and it has a big picture of our governor saying, 'Don't be fooled,'" Buerlein said at her polling place in Hanover County, talking about Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger. "She's on TV every day saying, 'Vote yes.' But they're making it look like she's saying, 'Vote no.'"
Virginia is in the midst of a contentious vote on whether to redraw the state's congressional voting map, which would give Democrats an edge in all but one of the state's 11 seats. The new map could result in Democrats gaining four seats in the U.S. House.
Democrats won in a landslide in the 2025 gubernatorial election, but Virginia is still a fairly purple state, and Tuesday's redistricting vote seems to be a toss-up, even as the pro-redistricting side has massively outspent its opponents.
Voters say campaigns have muddied the waters on the issue, from contradictory direct mail campaigns to a leading ballot question.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., gives remarks as U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) left, listens along U.S. Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA-06) during a rally opposing the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater, Virginia.
Q&A
What are voters saying about the redistricting vote in Virginia?
Voters in Virginia are expressing confusion and feeling misled by conflicting messages in campaign materials related to the redistricting vote.
How are political figures being used in Virginia's redistricting campaign?
Campaign mailers for the redistricting vote in Virginia have prominently featured images of former President Barack Obama and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
What specific concerns did voters express at polling places in Virginia?
Voters raised concerns about misleading visuals at polling places, such as a booth displaying Gov. Spanberger's image with contradictory messaging.
What impact could confusion over redistricting have on Virginia voters?
Confusion over redistricting could lead to decreased voter turnout and mistrust in the electoral process among Virginia voters.
Home Office could face hundreds of claims over asylum families in single rooms
The Home Office may face legal claims from asylum-seeking families living in single hotel rooms, criticized by a judge for being 'extraordinarily stressful.' Families have been stuck in these conditions for over three years, raising concerns about their living standards.
See every story in News — including breaking news and analysis.
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gives remarks during a rally opposing the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Saturday, April 11, at Dynamic Aviation in Bridgewater, Va.
Shaban Athuman/VPM News
But the group's campaign manager said it's Democrats who made things unclear for voters.
"Any confusion was created by defying court orders, misleading ballot language and the hypocrisy of politicians. This ad simply serves to educate voters," said Finn Lee in an email.
Similar ads have highlighted Gov. Spanberger's comment in 2019 that "gerrymandering is detrimental to our democracy." This year, Spanberger is supporting redistricting mid-decade to give Democrats an edge in the state. Virginia's vote is part of a nationwide fight sparked by President Trump last year when he encouraged Texas and other Republican-led states to redraw maps to benefit the GOP ahead of this November's elections.
Trump's image has appeared on a billboard for the yes campaign paid for by the Democratic committee in Page County in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. "President Trump says, 'Take over the voting,'" it read, "Vote yes on redistricting April 21."
All of this confusion could depress turnout, said J. Andrew Kuypers, a communications consultant and professor at Virginia Tech.
"The cumulative effect of all of these tactics is really decision fatigue. People are going to experience that, and flat out, that's going to favor the side with superior resources and the turnout infrastructure."
As for early voting, though, the numbers aren't far behind those in last year's statewide election when Spanberger was on the ballot, according to figures compiled by the non-partisan Virginia Public Access Project using government data.
Dark money
Adding to the confusion, it's impossible for voters to know who is behind all the campaign cash in the election.
Funding from dark-money groups, 501(c)(4)s structured so donors do not need to be disclosed, has made up the bulk of campaign contributions on both sides of the issue.
The Justice for Democracy PAC, which mailed voters anti-redistricting material with images of the Ku Klux Klan next to the text, "They want to silence your voice," has received just shy of $10 million from Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, a 501(c)(4). The group has been active since 2021, but its spending went through the roof during the redistricting campaign, raising questions about who funds it.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, addresses attendees during a rally in support of the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Sunday, April 12, in Henrico, Va.
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, addresses attendees during a rally in support of the proposed 10-1 congressional maps on Sunday, April 12, in Henrico, Va.
Shaban Athuman/VPM News
Shaban Athuman/VPM News
Virginians for Fair Elections, the group behind the yes vote, has received over $64 million in contributions, mostly from groups that don't need to disclose their donors, according to data compiled by the Virginia Public Access Project. Two major donors include the 501(c)(4) The Fairness Project and House Majority Forward, a nonprofit linked to Democratic U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Virginians for Fair Maps, the group behind the no vote, has received $19 million across six donations from its own 501(c)(4) — also named Virginians for Fair Maps.
"Campaign mailers masquerading as 'newspapers'"
Free election-related newspaper-like publications from the Virginia Independent are also hitting mailboxes. They include recipes, articles on health and positive coverage of the pro-redistricting campaign. The conservative online magazine, The Federalist, called the Virginia Independent, which is part of a nationwide media operation, "campaign mailers masquerading as 'newspapers.'"
The publication's editor-in-chief, Joe Conason, says the Virginia Independent has had content online since 2021, and publication schedules have varied.
"Every story we run is fact-checked, our stories are vetted by counsel to make sure we don't run afoul of 501(c)(3) rules for partisanship, and in every way, we put out a reputable news publication," said Conason. "The Virginia Independent definitely has a point of view. At the same time, our aim is really to inform Virginians what's going on in the state."
A disclosure on the publication's website says it's part of a 501(c)(4), American Independent Media. The organization's board members include leaders from left-leaning groups, including labor unions, NARAL Pro-Choice America (now Reproductive Freedom for All), and Media Matters.
Similar publications were also active during the 2025 gubernatorial race in Virginia.
A sign for the “Vote No” campaign outside of the Goochland County Parks and Recreation office on Saturday, April 11, in Goochland County, Va.
A sign for the "Vote No" campaign outside of the Goochland County Parks and Recreation office on Saturday, April 11, in Goochland County, Va.
Shaban Athuman/VPM News
Shaban Athuman/VPM News
The ballot language
In addition to the labyrinth of unclear messaging around the campaign, Republicans say the ballot language itself is confusing.
The ballot question reads: "Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia's standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?"
"Promising to 'restore fairness' is not neutral framing. Complaining about someone quoting President Obama, or even Governor Spanberger, accurately? Glass houses and all that," said Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore in a written statement.
"I know what I'm voting for, but it's misleading on that question," said Casey Czajkowski, a voter in Goochland County. "This is going to lead people to vote yes, 100%, just by reading the question."
