Video: Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04), Del. Cia Price Explain Why Voting YES on the Redistricting Amendment Is Crucial “to put a stop to Trump’s power grab”

With early voting starting TODAY for the Virginia redistricdting amendment referendum (election day for this is April 21, but you can vote early prior to then), see below for video and highlights from this afternoon’s call with Sen. Tim Kaine Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) and Del. Cia Price on why everyone should be voting YES on this. As Virginians for Fair Elections puts it:

“As Donald Trump and MAGA-controlled states attempt to manipulate congressional maps before voters cast a ballot, Virginia voters now have the opportunity to respond directly at the ballot box. Speakers will emphasize that voting YES is a temporary, emergency step that allows Virginians — not politicians — to decide whether to level the playing field while other states attempt to tilt the balance of power.”

So with that, first here’s Sen. Kaine, who said:

• “You all know that we’re celebrating 250 years of American democracy…The nation saw in a very dramatic way on January 6, 2021 a tyrannical president trying to steal away the peaceful transfer of power after losing an election. I was in the Capitol that day as Donald Trump inspired people to violently attack the Capitol, including Capitol police, to try to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power. Thank God we stopped him. Some of those who stopped him were brave Virginia state troopers who arrived the first in to come help the Capitol police protect the democracy and ensure the peaceful transfer of power. But President Trump is trying it again. He’s decided that normal rules about redistricting that generally have redistricting done at the beginning of each decade will get in his way in trying to hold on to power in Congress. And so last year in North Carolina and then continuing this year in other states like Texas and Missouri, President Trump has, in my view, used a tyrannical effort to try to rig politics so that he can maintain power even when the electorate wants otherwise.”
• “Virginia wouldn’t be true to ourselves if we allowed tyranny to go unanswered. And so Virginia, having embraced nonpartisan redistricting, put it in the Constitution, still believing that in the long haul that’s the right strategy, nevertheless has reached a conclusion that right now we’ve got to stand up to tyranny. And so there is a referendum on a constitutional temporary change before the voters on April 21st, first day of voting today, to say that the voters will pick the maps for congressional representation from now until the next denial redistricting is done. And in my view, that is a very, very important thing for Virginia to do to stand up against this tyrannical effort of President Trump.”
• “This is a very important effort and I’m very very firm in my support of it. It’s not just about sort of tyranny or rigging the national election. This is also about Virginia. President Trump has interfered in Virginia higher education, forcing the firing of the president, University of Virginia and trying to do the same thing at George Mason University. When this or any president tries to impose his will on Virginia universities, we need a congressional delegation that will stand up against it. President Trump has engaged in a firing campaign, firing thousands and thousands of Virginia federal employees,  many of them veterans, probably firing more veterans than any president in the history of the United States, directly contrary to Virginia’s interest.  Virginia needs a congressional delegation that will stand up against that instead of rolling over and letting it happen. President Trump has sacked both of the US attorneys in Virginia,  the Eastern District and Western District, the key federal law enforcement agent officials in Virginia, because they would not follow  his lead and conduct baseless political prosecutions of President Trump’s enemies. His own US attorneys stood up  against him and Donald Trump fired them for standing up for democracy. Virginia needs a congressional delegation that will stand up against that kind of tyranny, not roll over and accept it.  And should the president be unhappy with the 2026 elections or the 2028 elections and try to interfere with implementing the people’s will just as he did in 2020, 2021, Virginia will need a congressional delegation who will stand up against that tyranny and not just roll over and accept it. These are tough times. And Virginia, true to being a state that has pledged we will always stand against tyranny, has a chance to do it  on April 21. I encourage everyone to turn out and vote…Virginia has rejected the backroom deal and we want people to make the decision and I certainly intend to vote for the redistricting referendum.”

Next, here’s Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04), who said:

• “Throughout history, we have seen state legislatures use partisan gerrymandering to create maps that produce results that they know otherwise the voters won’t give them. We tried to get away from that in Virginia and a number of other states. We’ve tried to get away from that through federal legislation that would ban partisan redistricting.  And yet last cycle in 2024, because North Carolina redistricted in  the middle of the game to get rid of three Democratic seats, knowing that House Democrats only needed four to take  back the majority despite the fact that more Republican incumbents lost than Democratic incumbents, we fell short and  that Republicans kept the control of the House. Seeing that, President Donald Trump decided to bully state legislators from Texas to Indiana and trying in others to change the game by  having them, in his words, find me more seats. Donald Trump tried to take away the voice of other states and  Virginians by stacking the deck in Texas and Missouri and trying in other states. Now, starting today, that power  goes back into the hands of Virginians.”
• Now the stakes are incredibly high. And what I heard, not just in my district, but traveling all around the state last year in the state elections is Virginians are sick of  it. Virginians want a Congress that’s going to do its job and be a check on this president who has stretched the bounds of his authority to the breaking point. They want a congressional delegation that is going to fight for them, not fight for Donald Trump. And  this constitutional amendment that you can start voting on today gives Virginians the chance to fight back by saying we’re going to respond. We are going to level the playing field in response to Donald Trump’s acts in other states temporarily…now Virginia voters will get their say. Between now and April 21st, I’m voting yes, and I urge every one of you to do the same.”

Now, here’s Del. Cia Price (D-Newport News), who said:

• “So much has happened since 2020 and we have worked hard to strengthen our democracy here and the Commonwealth. And we’ve worked too hard to let bad actors in other states diminish our own votes.”
• “We passed this proposed constitutional amendment so that the voters would have the final say on whether or not Virginia will fight back against the blatant attacks on democracy and Republican attempts to rig the system”
• “…redistricting in Virginia does not just impact Virginians. we have a chance to impact the future of our entire nation. In fact, it’s so big that even President Barack Obama has entered the chat…when Republicans try to cheat to rig the game, voters have the right to respond.””
• “…we’re all working together to put a stop to Trump’s power grab. Here in Virginia, the voters will decide. Many people are watching the news and seeing where our nation is headed. But instead of feeling dejected or hopeless, we have something you can do to fight back. Vote yes and tell all of your family and friends about this referendum. We need everyone to lock in, vote early, and vote yes.”

Finally, here are a couple Q&As:

• Sen. Tim Kaine: “…This is  one-time effort for mid-decade redistricting to counter the tyranny that Donald Trump has unleashed. But the provision about nonpartisan redistricing stays in the Constitution for 2031 and henceforth. It’s not removed and it would reactivate again after this simple effort to play defense against Donald Trump’s tyranny.”
• Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04): “And I would just add to that the constitutional amendment itself says that what triggers this redistricting is other states doing it absent a court  order which is as delegate Price said unprecedented particularly when a president has ordered them to do so.”
• Del. Cia Price: “I would say that the question was crafted to discover, you know, for them to discover what it is we’re trying to do. I don’t think it it pushes anyone toward a yes or to a no. I hope that they get to a yes because the fairness is looking at the big picture when  you have other states who are taking away from Virginians’ votes because they’re they’re making other states vote stronger. Yeah, it’s fair for us to fight back. And so I think that if they read it and they know what’s going on, the explainer language that goes along with it, it is very clear that we are trying to stop something bad from happening, for something good to happen, and then for us to go back to the normal process.”
• Del. Cia Price: “…I think it is connected. I am hoping that people will vote yes so that we can send more people into the other chamber that the Senator can work with, that representative McClellan can work with,  that would even have the courage to ask questions about the war, much less stop an unconstitutional war. Right now, what  we are seeing is a neglect of duty. And I just think that that is tied into vote yes if you want a Congress that does its job. And that is very much aligned with the war …that we’re seeing ourselves in.”