Former Va. Gov Allen presses for debate with Spanberger on redistricting amendment

A former Virginia governor is pressing for a public debate with the incumbent on a proposed redistricting amendment as Virginians are already casting ballots ahead of the April 21 special election.

Former Gov. George Allen, a Republican who served from 1994 to 1998 and later as a U.S. senator, is urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger to participate in a one-hour virtual debate. Allen is part of the group No Gerrymandering Virginia, which opposes the amendment.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask for one honest virtual debate for the people,” Allen said told The Center Square in an interview Monday afternoon.

Allen said he previously requested multiple debates and recently renewed the invitation, calling for a public discussion where voters can hear both sides of the issue.

The language used has been criticized. According to the Department of Elections, the ballots say, "Question: 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?"

In saying "restore fairness," the Republican National Committee said it’s a “misleading statement – if not an obvious falsehood.”

Today, Virginia's delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives is 6-5 Democrats. If the map – still under litigation even as voters cast ballots – is adopted, all indications is Democrats will be 10-1.

The Virginia Institute for Public Policy, on March 2, wrote, “The hastily-cobbled-together, back-of-a-cigarette-packet April 21st referendum on redistricting (or “revenge gerrymandering” amendment as we like to call it) has more holes than a sponge, Swiss cheese, and a golf course combined. Is the process by which this referendum was called even legal? Is the blatantly unfair referendum question legal? These are questions which should be resolved before voting even starts.”

That didn’t happen. The state Supreme Court decided the referendum could continue with a deadline two days later for the case. The forecast is for the U.S. Supreme Court to eventually decline or take up the controversy.

Allen said the proposal would reverse the intent of the voter-approved system by allowing lawmakers to redraw maps outside the standard redistricting cycle of once every 10 years.

Allen said the timing of the amendment has limited public awareness, adding that some voters may not realize the referendum is taking place or understand how district lines could change.

“The voters of Virginia have had even less time to become aware that a vote is even taking place,” he said.

Hence why he believes public debate would help.

Virginia’s current congressional maps are drawn once every 10 years by a bipartisan redistricting commission, a system voters approved through a constitutional amendment in 2020 to limit direct control by lawmakers.

For April 21, and early voters before then, a “yes” vote would also put a proposed map approved by the General Assembly into effect for the 2026 elections, while a “no” vote would keep the current districts in place. The former system resumes with the 2030 census.

Spanberger has publicly supported the amendment and said she voted “yes” on the referendum, calling it a temporary measure that preserves Virginia’s bipartisan redistricting process.

Allen also said the proposed changes could shift political representation in parts of Virginia, including Hanover, New Kent, York County and Williamsburg, placing them in districts centered in Northern Virginia. He said that could reduce representation in regions including the Shenandoah Valley and parts of Tidewater.

Allen outlined the debate proposal in a letter and said the governor could choose the moderator, timing and format.

The Center Square on Monday was unsuccessful prior to publication getting comment on the proposal from Spanberger.

Early voting in Virginia began March 6 and will continue through April 18. More than 677,000 early ballots had been cast as of late Monday afternoon, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project.