The Supreme Court of Virginia said Virginians can begin voting this week to decide if congressional lines should be redrawn.
In the order issued late Wednesday, justices said they offered no “opinion on the ultimate resolution” of the Republican-led effort to stop Virginia’s redistricting effort, but voting should commence Friday.
“Issuing an injunction to keep Virginians from the polls is not the proper way to make this decision,” the ruling reads.
Tazewell County, which was barred from early voting until Wednesdays’ order, should be all systems go. However, reporting by Cardinal News suggested the locality had not prepared ballots and machines because of the lower court ruling. How that will impact the rural, western Virginia county on Friday remains unclear.
In a statement, Attorney General Jay Jones praised the ruling, saying, “the Court’s order is clear: the referendum election will proceed.”
Filings in the lawsuit to stop the referendum are due just before voting ends in April, a move some say will allow the state’s highest court to not get involved: If it passes, the new maps stand. If the vote fails, so does the redistricting scheme.
But a recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court suspending the use of a new, pro-Democrat map in New York state is giving hope to Colonial Heights Republican Senator Glen Sturdevant.
“This is why we have a Virginia Supreme Court. When one branch of government is abusing the process and breaking the law, we have the judicial branch step in and address that," Sturdevant said ahead of Wednesday's ruling which was not a ruling on the merits of the dispute. "And so far the Virginia Supreme Court has not done that.”
The hope is, once Virginia’s highest court issues a final ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court could step in.
But in the meantime, big turnout for Democrats in primaries across the country Tuesday are reassuring Democrats like Fairfax County Delegate Dan Helmer.
“I expect on April 21st Virginians are going to show up in droves and help us level the playing field,” Helmer told Radio IQ.
Early voting in the redistricting fight starts Friday across the Commonwealth.
