While the recent Moore v Harper ruling upholds the checks and balances crucial to our democracy, there is still a risk of a rightwing state legislature overruling their own voters and assigning the state’s presidential electors to a candidate of their own choosing.
Virginia has a rightwing governor and a rightwing-leaning Court. Losing both state legislative chambers in November would be a disaster — with all the levers of government politically aligned, there would be no checks or balances in the state to protect the voices of voters in elections. How Virginia’s 13 electoral votes are assigned could come down to one pro-democracy majority in one chamber.
A rightwing trifecta in Virginia would be a threat to our democracy.
In the State Senate, the rightwing is two seats away from governing control of the chamber. In the State House, where just 400 votes shifting across three seats would have maintained the majority in 2021, three seats must flip for governing control.
In a year when every seat in the House and the Senate are up for election, the newest maps show that the balance of power could swing either way in both chambers.
Winning a majority in both chambers would set the stage for a new trifecta in 2025; but it’s equally possible that there could be a rightwing trifecta in November. Protecting our democracy will come down to winning power in at least one Virginia chamber this November.
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