Virginia House Democrats advanced four proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday, the first day of the 2026 General Assembly session. The measures address abortion rights, same-sex marriage, voting rights for people with felony convictions, and congressional redistricting.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee approved the measures earlier in the day. All four now move to the Senate, where Democrats also hold a majority.
House Democratic leaders said the proposals respond to recent court decisions and redistricting activity in other states. They framed the amendments as an effort to give voters more influence over issues involving civil and political rights.
One of the amendments, House Joint Resolution 4, would allow lawmakers to redraw congressional districts mid-decade under limited conditions. The authority would apply only if another state alters its map for reasons unrelated to a court order and would expire in 2030. It would not apply to state legislative lines and would leave Virginia’s independent redistricting commission intact.
Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, who sponsored the amendment, said it would not automatically change existing maps but would create a process to consider doing so. “We are not expanding the authority to change the state district lines,” Willett said.
If approved by the Senate, the amendment would go before voters in a special statewide referendum in April 2026. Democrats cited national redistricting trends to justify the timeline.
Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, said the schedule could prompt changes to the state’s primary calendar but would not affect the general election in November.
Republicans have criticized the redistricting proposal, calling it a reversal of the voter-approved creation of the state’s redistricting commission in 2020. Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington, called the amendment “concerning” and referenced social media posts showing potential maps.
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said the proposal could lead to significant partisan shifts in the state’s congressional delegation. “We’re a close, 6-5 state, and some of those congressional seats are very competitive,” Kilgore said.
Republican legislators unsuccessfully sought to block the amendment in court. A Tazewell County judge on Tuesday denied an emergency motion to prevent the legislature from advancing the proposal. The judge ruled that courts may not intervene in the legislative amendment process before it is complete.
The other three proposed amendments are expected to appear on the November 2026 ballot. One would repeal a 2006 ban on same-sex marriage, which remains in the state constitution despite being unenforceable since the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling recognizing marriage equality.
A second amendment would automatically restore voting rights to individuals with felony convictions who have completed their sentences. Virginia currently requires the governor to restore those rights individually.
The third amendment would establish reproductive rights in the state constitution. The measure previously passed in 2025 and has drawn consistent opposition from Republican lawmakers, who have supported more restrictive abortion laws such as 15-week limits without exceptions for fetal anomalies.
Virginia currently has fewer abortion restrictions than surrounding states, drawing an increase in out-of-state patients.
Del. Price said the package of amendments reflects overlapping civil rights issues and cited actions by President Donald Trump and Republican-led legislatures in other states as context. “There is no such thing as a single issue struggle,” Price said, quoting civil rights activist Audre Lorde.