Virginia Democrats seek 10-1 congressional map with voter referendum

Virginia voters are deciding Tuesday whether to approve a referendum to redraw their state's congressional districts to favor Democrats by a 10-1 margin, the latest battle in the nationwide scramble by both parties to increase their chances of winning control of the House. Polls closed Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Early voting began on March 6, and turnout so far has been high, especially for a special election. As of Monday, more than 1.35 million people had voted early, almost as many as the total 1.48 million who voted early in last fall's statewide races, according to Virginia Public Access Project . The referendum is seeking to amend the state constitution to allow a mid-decade redistricting using the Democratic-controlled Assembly's redrawn congressional maps, which will give Democrats an advantage in all but one of the state's 11 House seats. According to the referendum, the maps would only be in place until the 2030 election, after which the standard redistricting process will resume. Normally, states redraw their congressional maps once every 10 years, following the decennial Census. Democrats currently control six of the state's 11 House seats, and the current map was drawn by a bipartisan commission. The new map would break up the northern part of the state, which includes the D.C. suburbs and has trended more and more Democratic over the years, into several districts that extend into the more conservative southern and western parts of the state. …