Alexandria lawmakers back constitutional amendments on redistricting, reproductive rights
Ebbin, Bennett-Parker among Democrats advancing measures to spring referendum; Lopez does not vote on redistricting
Alexandria’s state legislators voted this week to advance four constitutional amendments to a statewide referendum expected in April, including a controversial proposal allowing lawmakers to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts mid-decade.
The votes came during the first week of the 60-day legislative session, which convened on Tuesday. Sen. Adam Ebbin, who is resigning Feb. 18 to join Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s administration as a senior advisor at the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, voted for all four measures.
The Senate approved the redistricting amendment Friday on a 21-18 party-line vote, three days after the House of Delegates passed it 62-33-1.
Ebbin, D-Alexandria, voted for the measure. Del. Charniele Herring, the House majority leader whose district includes part of Alexandria, and Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria, supported the amendment when it cleared the House on Tuesday. Both delegates co-patroned the redistricting and marriage equality amendments.
Del. Alfonso Lopez, a former House majority whip whose district includes parts of Arlington and Alexandria, did not vote on the redistricting amendment. The Alexandria Brief has reached out to Lopez for comment. He voted yes on the other three constitutional amendments and co-patroned the reproductive rights, voting rights, and marriage equality measures.
Bennett-Parker won the Jan. 13 firehouse primary for Ebbin’s Senate seat with 70% of the vote and faces Republican Julie Lineberry in a Feb. 10 special election. She has also announced her resignation from the House, effective Feb. 18.
At a candidate debate last Monday, Bennett-Parker expressed caution about rushing all four amendments to an April ballot. The redistricting amendment must go to voters in April because new congressional maps need to be in place before the June primary filing deadline to affect the 2026 elections.
“I want them to get done as quickly as possible. I also want them to get done,” she said. “We need to make sure that the voters are informed about the messaging and that we turn out as many folks as possible.”
Democrats seeking to replace Bennett-Parker in House District 5 will face voters Tuesday in a firehouse primary. Former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and City Councilman Kirk McPike are the announced candidates. Voting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Beatley Library and Charles Houston Recreation Center.
Redistricting debate
Democrats framed the redistricting proposal as a defensive response to Republican-led map changes in other states.
“What you have before you today is a constitutional amendment that none of us wanted to bring to the floor, but circumstances beyond our borders have made it necessary,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said during Friday’s floor debate, according to the Virginia Mercury.
Republicans warned the measure would undo voter-approved protections against gerrymandering established by the 2020 constitutional amendment creating the Virginia Redistricting Commission.
Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg, argued that Democrats would not stop with congressional districts, the Mercury reported.
“You’re going to redo the House of Congress. You’re going to redo the House of Delegates, and you’re gonna redo the state Senate,” Peake told colleagues. “We all know that is what is going to happen.”
Ebbin voted against a Republican amendment that would have required any new maps to be drawn by the bipartisan commission rather than the legislature.
Other amendments
The legislature also advanced constitutional amendments on reproductive rights, voting rights, and marriage equality. All four Alexandria-area lawmakers voted for each measure.
Ebbin, the first openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly, co-patroned the marriage equality amendment. It passed the Senate 26-12 after a reconsideration vote drew bipartisan support.
The amendments now await action from Spanberger, who is inaugurated today and must approve both the proposed congressional maps and a decision to hold the referendum in April rather than November. A spokeswoman for Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment Friday, the Mercury reported.