Virginia primary proceeds under old congressional map after court rulings
Virginia voters are casting ballots Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in congressional districts that existed before the state’s failed April 21 redistricting referendum. The same boundaries are scheduled to govern the November 3 general election after the Supreme Court of Virginia voided the referendum and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to stay that ruling.
The practical result is straightforward: voter district assignments, congressional ballots, polling information and campaign strategies are based on the existing boundaries, not the proposed map that lawmakers had sought to put before voters.
How the proposed map was blocked
On May 8, the Supreme Court of Virginia voided the April 21 redistricting referendum. The court found that the legislative process used to advance the proposed constitutional amendment violated Article XII, Section 1, of the Virginia Constitution.
The referendum did not itself enact a new congressional map. The proposed amendment would have allowed Virginia to redraw its U.S. House districts between the normal once-a-decade redistricting cycles under specified conditions, including when another state conducted mid-decade congressional redistricting.
Virginia election officials then said no congressional-boundary changes would be made for either the 2026 primary or general election. The U.S. Supreme Court docket shows that the stay application in Scott v. McDougle, No. 25A1240, was denied on May 15.
That order was not a merits ruling resolving every issue in the redistricting dispute. It denied the requested stay, leaving the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling in place for the 2026 election calendar.
Why voters are voting in August
The referendum effort still affected election administration even though its outcome was later nullified. Virginia’s 2026 primary was moved from the usual June schedule to August 4. The U.S. House filing deadline for candidates seeking a party nomination was May 26, while independent U.S. House candidates face an August 4 filing deadline.
Virginia’s Department of Elections says the 2026 general election is scheduled for November 3 and will use the same pre-referendum congressional boundaries.
Voters who are unsure of their district or polling location can check their information through the Virginia Department of Elections’ online voter-information tools before casting a ballot.
Competitive House races remain under old lines
The old map matters politically because candidates prepared for a possible set of districts that never became operative. Once the courts settled the issue in May, campaigns had to continue under congressional boundaries that have been in place since 2021.
Associated Press reporting identifies the 1st and 2nd districts as important Democratic targets. Republican Reps. Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans avoided primary challenges but are expected to face competitive general-election contests. In the 2nd District, former Rep. Elaine Luria is competing in a four-way Democratic primary against Nila Devanath, Bill Fleming and Patrick Mosolf. The 1st District has a seven-way Democratic primary, with Henrico County prosecutor Shannon Taylor viewed by many observers as a leading candidate.
The contests are part of Democrats’ effort to gain House seats in November, but the existing map does not guarantee a particular partisan result. It determines which voters, communities and incumbents are grouped together as campaigns move toward the general election.
What happens next
For the immediate election cycle, the legal uncertainty over Virginia’s congressional boundaries has ended. The August 4 primary and November 3 general election are proceeding under the same map that was in place before the referendum.
The broader question of mid-decade redistricting could return through future legislation or litigation, but the proposed 2026 amendment cannot be treated as current or operative. For Virginia voters, the immediate task is to verify the district and polling information assigned under the existing boundaries.
Sources
- Virginia Department of Elections redistricting ruling notice
- U.S. Supreme Court docket in Scott v. McDougle
- Associated Press primary-day coverage
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