What Representation

April 21, 2026

Today a redistricting referendum is being voted on. All across Virginia conservatives are waiting to find out if they will be utterly disenfranchised and unrepresented in their state government, as the districts will go from 5 Republican, 6 Democrat to 1 Republican, and a whopping 10 Democrat. Detractors of the referendum have also noted the blatantly biased wording of the bill, reading:

Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia’s standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?

Supporters of the referendum have said redistricting is needed to restore fairness on the national level,  pointing to recent redistricting in states like Texas, resulting in a stronger Republican representation, but fail to note other states like California, who have long overrepresented their Democrat population. Ultimately, two wrongs do not a make a right, and gerrymandering in other states does not justify gerrymandering in Virginia, no matter the party pushing it. The Libertarian Party of Virginia has issued a statement condemning the gerrymandering effort and many libertarians are voting against it, which you can read here.

While we hope this referendum fails, it is an ironic time for libertarians. We are no strangers to being unrepresented by our government. Despite being the philosophical children of the founding fathers, despite believing in the liberty and property rights this country was built on, we find ourselves ruled by a government so far from its original intention. We wonder: what is the point of having conservative representation if all they conserve are the laws and policies put in place by the Democratic leadership before them?

No matter the result of the referendum today the gun laws are still going into place, and our government “representation” is still getting more of our money and passing it to their cronies. Libertarians are still fighting for representation in government while also recognizing other ways of achieving liberty, like peaceful civil disobedience, are long overdue. We hope while you’re waiting in line to vote you consider this too.

-Meredith Hayes, LPSCV Secretary