Press Release – HJ 6007: “one of the worst ideas” passed by the General Assembly

For Immediate Release – 10/31/2025

LEXINGTON, VA ­­­— The Virginia Institute for Public Policy has reacted this evening to the passing of “one of the worst ideas to come before the Virginia General Assembly”. HJ6007 is a purely partisan resolution, flying in the face of all principles of good governance.

“This proposed amendment to Virginia’s Constitution will be a huge step backwards if it isn’t stopped in the next Session”, explained Lynn Taylor, President of the Virginia Institute. “In 2020, Virginia’s voters overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan approach to drawing electoral maps. The intent was to ensure that, whatever might or might not happen elsewhere in our nation, Virginia’s elections would always be fair to both sides. 66% of voters approved it in a statewide referendum. When the constitution has a provision designed to ensure fairness, it should be a red flag when anyone attempts to remove it.”

The Virginia Institute for Public Policy has also raised other concerns about the mechanics of the process, which has been described as an attempt at “revenge gerrymandering” in response to other states redrawing their own maps:

  • The special session was convened during an election period, meaning that sitting members of the Assembly had to choose between their democratic duty as a State representative or senator, and their democratic duty to meet the public during an election campaign.
  • The speed of the process seemed designed to push a pre-determined outcome, which led to a lack of proper scrutiny and debate.
  • It is not clear under Virginia’s constitution whether or not HJ6007 is legal to reintroduce in the 2026 session anyway: under Virginia’s constitution, Article XII requires an election to take place before a constitutional amendment is considered for a second time by the General Assembly. This gives “We, The People” time to speak at a general election once the bill has been passed. Given that many people have already voted, this provision seems likely to result in a costly legal challenge.

The Virginia Institute for Public Policy therefore believes the General Assembly should reverse course on HJ6007; no gain or loss of any seat can be worth the moral cost of undermining free and fair elections in Virginia.

1 – HJ6007 passed on a party-lines vote: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20242/HJ6007

2 – For further information, contact media@virginiainstitute.org

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