Obama urges Virginians to vote yes on redistricting measure that could give Democrats 4 more House seats
Former President Barack Obama is urging Virginians to vote in favor of a congressional redistricting ballot measure that if passed, could give Democrats a big boost in this year's midterm...
By Fox News · Fox News
Former President Barack Obama is urging Virginians to vote in favor of a congressional redistricting ballot measure that if passed, could give Democrats a big boost in this year's midterm elections. "By voting yes, you have the chance to do something important — not just for the Commonwealth, but for our entire country," Obama said in the video. "By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms." The video by the former president, who remains one of the most popular former presidents and whose favorable ratings among Democrats remain very high a decade after leaving the White House, was released Friday on the eve of the final day of early voting ahead of Tuesday's statewide referendum. If the ballot measure is successful, it would give the Democrat-controlled legislature — rather than the current nonpartisan commission — temporary redistricting power through the 2030 election. It could result in a 10-1 advantage for Democrats in Virginia's congressional delegation , up from their current 6-5 edge. OBAMA ENDORSES VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT THAT COULD HELP DEMS GAIN 4 SEATS That would give Democrats four additional left-leaning U.S. House seats ahead of the midterms, as the party tries to win back control of the chamber from the GOP, which currently holds a razor-thin majority. "By voting yes, you can take a temporary step to level the playing field. And we're counting on you," Obama said in the video . Republicans call the Democrats' redistricting effort an "unconstitutional power grab." Democrats counter that it's a necessary step to balance out partisan gerrymandering already implemented by Republicans in other states under the urging of President Donald Trump . The video by Obama is the former president's latest effort tied to the referendum. He has previously appeared in ads released by Virginians for Fair Elections, the Democrat-aligned group working to pass the ballot in…