What is Virginia redistricting?

Virginia is proposing new congressional district maps through a mid-decade redistricting process. A referendum on April 21, 2026 will let voters decide whether to adopt the new maps before the November midterm elections.

How do I check my new Virginia district?

Enter your address on vadistricts.org and the tool will show you both your current congressional district and your proposed new district under the new maps.

When is the Virginia redistricting referendum?

The redistricting referendum is scheduled for April 21, 2026. Early voting is already open as of March 6, 2026.

Will my congressional district change?

It depends on where you live. The proposed maps significantly redraw several districts, especially in Northern Virginia and Central Virginia. Use our free checker tool to see if your district changes.

Virginia's Proposed 2026 Congressional Map — Explained

Updated April 2026 · 7 min read

Virginia is in the middle of a rare mid-decade redistricting. After the General Assembly passed new congressional maps in February 2026, voters will decide whether to adopt them in a statewide referendum on April 21, 2026. This page is a plain-English overview of what's actually in the proposal.

Democratic-lean

Tossup

Republican-lean

The big picture

Virginia keeps 11 congressional districts, but the lines inside the state finally start to make sense. The old map carved up communities to lock in safe seats for incumbents of both parties. The proposed map keeps cities, counties, and regional corridors together, and in doing so makes several districts genuinely competitive again — which means voters, not mapmakers, get to decide who represents them.

This matters beyond Virginia. As other states have gerrymandered more and more aggressively, checks and balances only work if fair-map states actually stand up. Virginia's proposed map is one of those levers — a chance to show what representation looks like when districts are drawn for people instead of politicians.

The three biggest changes

1. The 7th District is almost entirely rewritten

The current VA-7 runs through Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Prince William — exurban Northern Virginia. The proposed VA-7 looks nothing like it: it stitches together North Arlington, Falls Church, and central Fairfax with a corridor running south through Culpeper to Augusta County. No sitting member of Congress lives in this new district's core.

2. VA-1, VA-5, and VA-6 all become competitive

Three currently Republican seats — the 1st (Wittman), 5th (McGuire), and 6th (Cline) — all become Democratic-leaning or toss-ups under the proposed map. The 1st absorbs Fredericksburg and Stafford; the 5th picks up more of Albemarle; the 6th adds Roanoke and Harrisonburg.

3. VA-9 is drawn around a real community of interest

The 9th District now cleanly covers Southwest Virginia — coal country, the mountains, and Bristol — keeping those communities together instead of splitting them across multiple districts to prop up incumbents elsewhere. It reflects the actual geography and culture of the region, not a partisan carve-up.

What stays mostly the same

VA-3 — Hampton Roads core, safely Democratic.
VA-8 — Alexandria + South Arlington, still the state's most Democratic district.
VA-11 — Most of Fairfax County, still safely Democratic.
VA-10 — Loudoun + western Fairfax, still a competitive-Democratic seat.

How to see your own district

The fastest way to see exactly what changes for you is to enter your address on the checker. It will show you your current district, your proposed district, and whether they're different.

Why it matters

Democracy depends on checks and balances, and fair districts are one of the biggest levers we have. When maps are drawn to reflect real communities instead of to protect incumbents, elections get more competitive, turnout goes up, and elected officials actually have to listen to the people they represent. Virginia's proposed map is a chance to pull that lever — and show the rest of the country what fair representation looks like.

Sources

District boundaries come from the Virginia Department of Elections and the U.S. Census Bureau. Proposed-map partisan numbers are derived from precinct-level 2024 results overlaid on the new boundaries.