Virginia Democrats turn to Supreme Court to save their electoral map

Democrats in Virginia asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the Democratic-majority electoral map approved in late April. Through an emergency appeal filed Monday, state officials sought the intervention of the nation's highest court to authorize the use of the map that would allow Democrats to win up to four seats in the House of Representatives.

In late April, Virginians voted to approve a new electoral map that was to debut in the November midterm elections. With 52% of the vote, Virginians opted for a new map very favorable to the Democratic Party. Indeed, out of eleven available seats, ten would be Democratic-leaning.

However, the Virginia Supreme Court invalidated the referendum in a 4-3 decision, overturning the election result. Therefore, the state will continue to use its current map, in which Democrats have six congressmen and Republicans have five, with Districts 2, 7, and 11 being the most competitive.

The justices argued that the Democrats had not followed proper constitutional procedure to get their initiative passed. "This constitutional violation incurably taints the resulting referendum vote and nullifies its legal efficacy," wrote Justice Denham Arthur Kelsey, author of the majority opinion.

Against this backdrop, Virginia Democratic officials filed an emergency appeal to ask the Supreme Court to intervene in the case.

As the document reads, Democratic officials argued that the Virginia Supreme Court's decision has "deprived voters, candidates, and the commonwealth of their right to the lawfully enacted congressional district."

They further stated that the case traverses "critical issues of federal law with profound practical importance to the nation."