Eric Holder Statement on Virginia House Voting to Put Redistricting on the Ballot

Washington, D.C. — Today, Eric H. Holder, Jr., the 82nd Attorney General of the United States and Chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), issued the following statement on the Virginia House of Delegates voting to put a referendum on the ballot that would allow the General Assembly to enact a new congressional map in response to the threat of Republicans enacting mid-decade gerrymanders:

“The continuing effort led by Washington Republicans to unfairly rig the midterm elections with an unprecedented series of mid-decade gerrymanders must be met head-on. The threat created by the Trump administration to our democracy is grave. Protecting our system requires taking extraordinary and responsive action, like the proposed referendum in Virginia. 

“The decision by Virginia lawmakers to pursue a process that allows voters to weigh in stands in stark contrast to the illegitimate power grab engineered by Republicans in Texas and anti-democracy efforts now underway by politicians in Florida.”

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