How soon could abortion, redistricting amendments reach Va. voters after Tuesday’s election?
Four proposed amendments to Virginia’s state constitution could reach voters as early as the spring, after Tuesday’s election gave Democrats a bigger edge in the House of Delegates.
David Ramadan, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, said the measures “will all pass the General Assembly and all go on the ballot for Virginians to vote on them as part of a referendum vote.”
The measures, which cover access to abortions and plans to redraw congressional districts, have already passed both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly. Now, after the election, they have to be approved again, before voters can weigh in.
One measure would ensure Virginians have “the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including access to an abortion and contraception, among other things, according to the legislation that was approved in January.
Another amendment would ensure same-sex couples can’t be denied a marriage license. A separate measure would give people who have been convicted of a crime and finished their sentence the right to vote. Currently, the governor has to restore that right.
The General Assembly recently held a special session to create a path forward for redistricting. The move would allow lawmakers to temporarily bypass a bipartisan commission and redraw congressional districts in a way that benefits Democrats.
Voters would get to weigh in if it passes both chambers again. Republicans are challenging the step in court.
Democrats will have a 64-36 advantage when lawmakers return to Richmond in mid-January, and they’ll have a 21-19 edge in the Senate, with Democratic Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi holding the tiebreaking vote, if it comes to that.
“The likelihood these amendments become part of the Constitution and a reality is almost certain at this point, if Virginians vote for them when they are on the ballot,” Ramadan said.
If the amendments pass through the General Assembly again, Ramadan said they could appear on ballots for voters in April or May.
During her speech on Tuesday night, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger said Virginia’s the only Southern state that hasn’t “restricted women’s reproductive rights since the Dobbs decision, and under my watch it will stay that way.”