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Culture War Roundup for the week of April 20, 2026

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Virginia is voting on redrawing their congressional districts today. Here is the Wikipedia entry.

The main highlight is that it would change Virginia from 6-5 democrat-republican split to a 10-1 split. It is being sold by Democrats as an effort to counter Republican gerrymandering in other states. It is being panned by Republicans as unfair representation, and an election map that looks like Fairfax county (rich county in northern Virginia) gets to elect about half of the state's representatives.

I'm a Virginia resident. So I've been getting lots of mailers about the issue and simple vote "yes" or "no" signs are everywhere.

I'm very frustrated with the whole thing. First for Trump kicking off this fight. Second with the Democrats in Virginia that have made a ridiculously bullshit map. I still have yet to hear anyone from the "yes" side explain how this is good for Virginia other than "fight Trump". I even read one article that had a title implying it would be about voters not feeling represented, and it turns out the content of the article was about democratic leaders addressing the democrat voters in the now single solitary red district. No content about how Republican voters might feel in the 10 other districts.

If this level of bullshit is on the table I feel like other proposals that get shot down for being "crazy" in normal times might end up back on the table. Like a bunch of Virginia counties seceding and joining West Virginia. Or the right to giant congress

I'm very frustrated with the whole thing. First for Trump kicking off this fight.

I'm frustrated that you think Trump started this. All of the Dem redistricting proposals are in response to Texas redistricting, which is a legally mandated response to a 2024 5th Circuit ruling saying "no, you cant have racially discriminatory districts", which is generally a thing democrats claim to oppose, except when it helps them.

The fundamental truth is that currently the DNC is the overwhelming beneficiary of gerrymandering efforts, and the push in Virginia about the 759th finger on a very crowded scale.

There were lots of articles saying that Trump said Republicans were "entitled" to 5 more districts in Texas. Which is why I blamed him in the first place. Your comment got me to go research it more.

I place less blame on Trump now. This seems like a fight the Democrats were itching for and they picked up on a minor interview thing.