Virginia voters on April 21 approved a Democratic-backed redistricting ballot measure, with The Associated Press projecting its passage, ABC News reports.

The referendum allows the Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw the state's congressional districts, reconfiguring four Republican-held seats to favor Democrats ahead of November's midterms.

Democrats argued the measure was needed to counter the 2025 mid-decade redistricting that benefited Republicans in Texas and other states, while Republicans called it a partisan power grab in a politically split state.

The measure's passage breaks with the state's own recent precedent: ABC News notes it sidelines a redistricting commission that Virginia voters had previously approved, a reversal the opposition had counted on.

President Trump weighed in by telephone on Monday night at an anti-redistricting rally, calling it 'a blatant partisan power grab' and claiming Virginia Democrats would 'eliminate four out of five' Republican-held congressional seats. Yet former Gov.

Glenn Youngkin told ABC News the opposition was a grassroots effort crossing party lines, saying 'Virginians standing up, not just Republicans.'

Per ABC News, the yes side far out-fundraised the opposition: Virginians for Fair Elections raised over $64 million as of April 10, while the largest anti-redistricting group, Virginians for Fair Maps Referendum Committee, raised under $20 million — though both sides spent millions.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued the redraw responded to Trump, who he said 'ordered' states to gerrymander to 'rig the midterm elections.'

The vote came amid a broader wave of high-stakes referendum battles; CNN reports that this same week Alberta voters overwhelmingly rejected a secession referendum, a contest in which Trump allies had backed separatists.

With control of the U.S. House hanging on November's midterms, ABC News reports the new map could let Democrats flip up to four Republican-held seats — though it may net only one new seat if all flip as expected.

Republicans are preparing a counterweight: ABC News notes Florida is set to consider mid-decade redistricting expected to help Republicans bolster their count.

What comes next is implementation of the new map by the Democratic-controlled legislature, followed by November elections in the reconfigured districts that could decide the chamber's majority.