Finale Norton: “Stand on the side of patriotism. Stand on the side of intelligence. Stand on the side of a level playing field. April 21st—vote YES.”

Great stuff by Finale Norton!

If George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Alexander Hamilton could see what’s happening in our democracy today, they would turn over in their graves. But what sits with me in this moment are the words of Ulysses S Grant “The dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.” This is exactly what a YES vote on the Virginia redistricting referendum intends to save us from.

In 2010, after Democrats held a trifecta, Republicans got strategic. They launched Project REDMAP—the Redistricting Majority Project—targeting state legislative races in key swing states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and North Carolina. Why? Because whoever controls the states controls the maps.

It worked.

Led by the Republican State Leadership Committee, they flipped legislatures and locked in control of redistricting—shaping 213 congressional seats. Then came 2012. Barack Obama famously said Democrats got “shellacked.”

But did we?

More than a million more Americans voted for Democrats for the U.S. House—yet Republicans walked away with a 33-seat majority.

Does that sound like democracy working… or the rules being rewritten?

Democrats have repeatedly introduced legislation to end partisan gerrymandering. It has never passed.

So here we are.

But what makes this vote different is that it’s bigger than Virginia. The next census isn’t until 2030—but Republicans didn’t wait. They redrew the lines early in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri, with Florida likely next.

And here’s the part that should wake us all up:

Much of this was done without the voice of the people.

We fought to stop Texas—but the Supreme Court allowed it to stand.

So let me ask you—

If the rules have clearly changed, are we supposed to pretend they haven’t?

It’s like a basketball game where, at halftime, one team comes back with ten players on the court—and you’re told to keep playing with five.

Does that seem fair?

People, this isn’t just about maps. The U.S. Congress passes laws that affect every one of us—no matter where we live. Those decisions shape our healthcare, our economy, our rights.

So when the rules are bent, the outcomes are too.

That’s why Democratic-led states have made a decision: we are not going to sit on a “norm” hill that’s crumbling beneath us.

We will fight back—but with the voice of the people.

Like California, Virginians now have the chance to decide how we show up on the field. Voting Yes to redraw the lines for fairness in 2026 as a temporary action and resume the independent process after the 2030 census.

I want us all to be very honest about what is happening to our country and our people today.

Republicans are distorting the truth. We’re seeing disinformation campaigns, even the appropriation of civil rights imagery and language to mislead Black voters. If your position is right, you shouldn’t have to trick people into believing it. It is almost laughable because of the way black history, black fairness and open racism is being celebrated out loud in the Republican Party of MAGA, no longer in the shadows but in hate speech, the treatment of women, and people of color.

Fairness is being traded for power—and the people, all of us are paying the price.

We have a Congress that refuses to check a president who overreaches. We see policies that threaten voting access, healthcare, and basic rights. We see billions being spent while families struggle with rising groceries and gas costs. We see fear—immigrants pulled from homes, communities unsettled, and detention centers expanding. We are in an unconstitutional war where your Congress did not give consent, that puts our troops in harms way while spending billions to do it.

And we’re told this is normal.

It’s not.

Virginia—and this nation—deserve better than a system tilted for power.

And yes—this moment may feel uncomfortable. Because we believe in fairness. We don’t believe in gerrymandering.

But what do you do when the rules have already been broken—and refusing to act only locks that unfairness in place?

History tells us that progress is not always clean. Our history is filled with leaders who made difficult choices to protect something bigger than the broken norm.

As Ulysses S. Grant reminded us, “In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten; then he who continues the attack wins.”

This is that moment.

So to every voter be you Democrat, RepublIcan, or Independent willing to see clearly:

Stand on the side of patriotism. Stand on the side of intelligence.

Stand on the side of a level playing field.

April 21st—vote YES.

In Solidarity,

Finale Norton, FPL Show Messenger