Conservatives are getting the message they are out of touch with Virginia voters. Democrats have won the past three presidential elections, two senate elections, and hold the Governor’s office. But conservatives will take power where they can get it, even if that means taking the power to vote away from the voters who elected them in the first place.

VOTERS CONFIDENCE

For years now, conservative politicians do everything they can to block commonsense and widely supported proposals to create fair and independent voting districts. They know that if we ended gerrymandering and they were no longer allowed to handpick their voters, they would lose control of the State House and State Senate. If they can’t count on your vote, they would rather your vote not be counted at all.

But now, those same politicians are now going a step further to leverage their rigged districts into a partisan power grab. Conservatives are attempting to change and rig the rules so the system is stacked in their favor. 

Reinventing Voter Demographics

HB1399 would extend their grip on power by changing the makeup of the State Board of Elections and local electoral boards to reflect Virginia’s already gerrymandered political districts.  Far from making elections more fair, this bill would hijack election administration and threaten Virginia’s free, fair, and accessible elections. The bill would consolidate control in the hands of a few appointees chosen by politicians who cannot be held accountable because they have created their districts in such a way that they are completely safe and losing their seat would be all but impossible.   

Conservatives don’t seem very confident that they will retake the Governor’s mansion after the elections in November, so they are pushing bills and constitutional changes that would allow the General Assembly to nullify or suspend administrative rules or regulations they don’t like. Far from protecting Virginians, these proposals are a blatant power grab designed to consolidate authority with politicians. And because their districts are so gerrymandered, we will have a hard time voting them out for this outrageous behavior.

Voters should be the only ones who are able to choose their elected officials. But conservatives have created a rigged system where they can do whatever they want and remain unaccountable. We cannot allow conservatives to get away with this North Carolina-style power grab to consolidate their diminishing power.

Stand up for free and fair elections by calling your legislators and demanding they vote against these bills and constitutional amendments. Voters are watching, and we won’t let them take away our right to a free and fair election.