Capitol in New York on November 4th, 2024 | Photo: Gregor Meier
A court in the US state of Virginia has declared the referendum on redrawing electoral districts invalid – less than 24 hours after the election on April 23rd. All votes cast were declared void.
The judge responsible based his decision on two deficiencies: the question on the ballot paper was formulated in a “manifestly misleading” manner, and the proposal was presented to voters earlier than required by the Virginia Constitution.
The background to the vote was an attempt by the Democrats to gain strategic advantages in the midterm elections in November by redrawing the district boundaries. According to media reports, this would have given them the chance to take up to four seats in the House of Representatives from the Republicans. Virginia’s Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones announced that he would appeal the ruling.
