Redistricting, Campaign Funds, Voter Access

Background:


The right to vote is one of our most fundamental rights and enshrined forever in our Constitution. But that right can be alarmingly curtailed by external circumstances. By controlling who can vote, when they can vote, whom they can vote for, and even what can be done with campaign funds, the members of the General Assembly have the complex responsibility of regulating themselves and their own activities. Voting is fundamental to a functioning democracy, and so regulations surrounding free and fair voting should be examined with the highest scrutiny. 


Looking Back at 2019:


One of the biggest issues that arose in the 2019 General Assembly was redistricting reform and an attempt to create an independent commission to oversee the process moving forward. After several statewide lawsuits and an overwhelming amount of press coverage, the pressure was mounting at the General Assembly to address heavily gerrymandered voting districts in Virginia.  The Virginia constitution requires districts that are “compact” and “contiguous,” which they currently are not. A court has already invalidated these districts as unconstitutional and ordered the General Assembly to revise the boundaries based on the court’s parameters.


To address the claims of partisan and racial gerrymandering, both chambers passed legislation to create an independent 16-member commission made up of 8 citizens and 8 legislators (4 from the Senate and 4 from the House), who will draw new district lines after the 2020 census. The legislation had unanimous support in the Senate but did draw criticism from the African American caucus in the House of Delegates, who were concerned that the commission would have no African-American representation.  


Redistricting Reform


The passage of the 2019 legislation was momentous, but only the first step in a multi-year process to officially amend the state constitution. The General Assembly will have to pass the same measure in next year’s session, which will then be followed by a statewide ballot referendum for all Virginians in the fall of 2020. The legislation must pass both hurdles before being cemented into the Virginia Constitution in time for the 2020 census results. If recognized, these changes will dramatically reshape Virginia’s political map. 


Campaign Funds


Currently, in Virginia, politicians are able to use funds from campaign contributions for personal use. Despite a multi-year debate to end the practice and calls from the Commission on Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government to pass legislation, all attempts have failed. The bill from the 2019 session, which passed the House of Delegates with unanimous support, was simply left in the Senate Rules Committee, where it was never brought to a vote and simply died at the end of the session. This year there will likely be renewed support for the regulation of campaign funds and support from the public will be vital in pushing it through. 


Voting Restrictions

Virginia historically has very tight voting restrictions, despite its high voter turnout, which has led many legislators to pursue various expansions of voting opportunities. Although many pieces of legislation did not make it through the 2019 session, two bills were passed and will allow people to vote in-person, without an excuse, for a week preceding elections. Although this legislation will not go into effect until 2020, it will give Virginians far more opportunities to vote in the future. There are other ways that the legislature can make it easier for citizens to get to the polls, including mandated time off for voting, an Election Day holiday, or eased restrictions on absentee voting. 

[Virginia Public Media] Data: Virginia’s Early Childhood Education Providers Are Succeeding

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
The second year of results from Virginia’s recently established Quality Establishment and Improvement System (VQB5) for early childhood education found that 99% of childcare providers receiving state funding meet or exceed quality expectations. As of early December 2025, over 154,000 views have been recorded on the system’s website since its October 2024 debut, revealing the many parents and families who appreciate the information that VQB5 offers them. None of these wonderful results would even be available to admire without the support and success we had in passing HB 1012 and SB 578 back in 2020! The data focuses on classroom interactions between children and caregivers and notes how said interactions encourage kids to express themselves at a young age. The state has also enacted categories of excellence for providers who score in the top 10%, exceed quality expectations, or even show significant improvement from an evaluation the year before. On top of that, a new data system called VAConnects helps integrate information on students over the years to track their learning progress. The Department of Education wishes to sustain the program and has requested $735,000 to do so. Overall, Virginia is serving as a model for other states to use in establishing best practices for their early childhood programs. Read more here .

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Virginians want General Assembly Action on Housing, Survey Finds

By VOW Ops • January 21, 2026
An August survey reveals that large majorities of Virginians want state lawmakers to address the rising cost of housing. The survey was conducted by Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia and Freedom Virginia. More than 8 in 10 Virginians said the General Assembly needs to act. More than 3 in 4 Virginians want lawmakers to prevent landlords from raising rents each year by more than 7%. Many Virginians also supported the idea of the state incentivizing localities to build more housing and providing developers with an ability to appeal rejected housing projects. Many proposals that were made to address all these public concerns were struck down during the 2025 legislative session. One of the main reasons why all the mentioned proposals failed to pass the General Assembly is because of the large influence the local government lobbies have in Richmond in protecting what little authority they are granted by the state. However, 6 in 10 Virginians indicated that they are more concerned with providing more housing than protecting local government authority. Read more here.

[Richmond Times Dispatch] Spanberger Details Affordability Measures in Health Care, Energy, Housing

By VOW Ops • December 19, 2025
Governor-elect Spanberger has released details on how her administration will work with the General Assembly to address affordability issues for Virginians regarding health care, energy, and housing. Democrats in the General Assembly argue the proposals are needed to mitigate the effects of President Trump’s tariff policies and reduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Some of the solutions being proposed are legislation from the previous session that were vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In health care, Spanberger and Virginia Democrats will tackle pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to compel patients toward using affiliated-only pharmacies. The incoming administration also wants to limit the number of times insurance companies can request approvals from patients receiving certain cancer cares and medicines for chronic conditions. Democrats are also reviving legislation that would prohibit insurance companies from charging tobacco smokers higher premiums. Further, Spanberger supports implementing a pilot program to help Virginians who will face unaffordable insurance premiums resulting from the expiration of the ACA enhanced tax credits. In energy, Spanberger called to make it easier for Virginians to utilize small-scale solar panels which don’t require hard labor to install. She also wants the previously vetoed legislation that would set energy storage standards for utility companies brought back to her desk (Governor Youngkin vetoed it because of his belief that the Virginia Clean Economy Act associated with it was ineffective). In housing, Spanberger and Democrats are reviving legislation from 2025 that would extend the grace period tenants have before being evicted for missing rent payments. They are also proposing changes that would give local governments priority in acquiring affordable multi-family units supported by tax credits when the owner wants to sell or convert them. Further, Democrats are reintroducing a bill which would allow all localities to change their zoning ordinances to create dense and affordable housing (currently, only the counties of Albemarle and Loudoun and the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Fairfax are granted such provisions). Read more here.
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