Video: Vote YES Campaign Manager Briefing on “Super Saturdays” Early Voting Expansion, Campaign Update

A few minutes ago, there was a “Vote YES Press Conference” with campaign manager Keren Charles Dongo, including a “briefing on Super Saturday early voting expansion and campaign update,” as well as some questions from reporters. See below for video and highlights.

First, here’s the intro from Keren Charles Dongo:

“Before I get into Super Saturday, I do want to start with where things stand right now. I feel very confident about where we are. But we always knew this was always going to be a fight across the Commonwealth. The data is clear – Virginians are showing up. They are voting early and they are voting YES. Right now, we are seeing a consistent advantage in early vote. Our projections have us leading in early vote and we just need to keep that momentum going. Pedal to the metal here. As of yesterday, we’ve already seen a staggering 740,000 early votes cast in this referendum. What that is telling me is that Virginians understand what’s at stake. They aren’t distracted by Trump-aligned billionaires dumping millions of dollars to mislead voters. They see this referendum as stopping MAGA Republicans from rigging the the system and imposing their harmful policies on Virginians and on Americans. If Virginians pass this temporary measure, this emergency measure, they can level the playing field, protect Virginia’s independent redistricting process long term, and meet this moment right now. and we’re confident that Virginians will do just that.

Now, let’s talk about Super Saturday. Saturday, April 11th, and again, Saturday, April 18th, Virginia voters will have more access to early voting than at any point in this election cycle. There will be major expansions in key localities like Fairfax County, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Richmond and Norfolk that are opening up. And we’re coming out swinging. We are activating across the state with major events and doing all that we can to build towards Super Saturday. Just this week, we have SEIU tomorrow, our SEIU labor brothers and sisters are endorsing, and we have them at a major event in Tyson’s Corner. On Thursday and on Friday, national and statewide leaders are joining Roland Martin for two live stream vote YES town halls at Virginia State University and Norfolk State University. Also on Friday, we’re kicking off the weekend with a press conference with some of our Virginia Democratic leaders, urging Virginians to come out and vote early to make their voices heard on Saturday in Richmond. Throughout the week, we’ll have over 50 grassroots activations statewide that’ll include canvassing, phone banking, text banking.

On Super Saturday, you’ll see our leaders across the Commonwealth barnstorming. They will be launching canvasses, casting their own votes, greeting voters, driving out turnout, and encouraging our Virginia voters throughout the Commonwealth. From Norfolk to Charlottesville to Arlington, and everywhere in between and all across the Commonwealth, you’re going to see major activation as we kick off the Super Saturdays featuring our state and federal leaders. That energy is going to be replicated and continued all the way from this weekend to April 21st. Vote YES on the referendum. That is our message and that’s what we’re doing. So, Super Saturdays once again, April 11th, Saturday, April 18th, Virginians have a chance to show up, show out, and vote YES. It is the opportunity to stop the Trump power grab. It is the opportunity to level the playing field. It is the opportunity to enact a very responsible, temporary emergency measure to ensure that voters have the final say. Not Trump, not MAGA Republicans, not Florida, not Texas. So, Virginians, to get your information about where to cast your ballot, please go to iwillvote.com/va – that is iwillvote.com/va. This is an important moment. We are early voting from now to April 21st.  Vote YES.”

• Keren Charles Dongo: “The other thing that you have to understand with the data…a lot of people are comparing to what’s happening in early vote now to this time last year. One thing that you have to remember in that comparison is that a lot of our Democratic-heavy counties like Prince William County, like Loudoun, like Chesapeake, Chesterfield, they are opening a full four to five days later  than they were this time last year in 2025. So what we’re seeing is that our  Democratic areas are also voting. But remember, even in Republican areas it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s just all Republicans voting. So for us, we do see the energy of our Democrats coming out to vote- and that is even before our Super Saturday days, where we’re going to have our bigger localities open up. So that is one of the reasons why we’re putting a lot of energy in making sure that voters know that their Saturday locality their Saturday satellite  locations that are closer that they like are opening up and ready to receive them.”

• Keren Charles Dongo: “Hampton Roads has a lot of energy. Just yesterday, the local NAACP, along with Congressman Scott, did a big event in Hampton Roads, a rally talking about misinformation and how voters can spot misinformation. But Hampton Roads has had a series of events. There has been ministers roundtables both on the peninsula and on Southside. Labor gathered at a roundtable in Hampton Roads. There have been a couple of different rallies…Black officials that  gathered together in Hampton Roads. They were all local Democratic officials that gathered together in Hampton Roads. I’ve done many events in Hampton  Roads. So there’s definitely a lot of energy happening in Hampton Roads, as well as we are aggressively on the ground doorknocking in Hampton Roads. Just recently, we also had a massive lit drop in Hampton Roads. So, we’re continuing the energy in Hampton Roads, and it’s been really great to have particularly all the General Assembly leadership,  elected officials and Congressman Scott join together in pushing YES in the Hampton Roads region.”

• Keren Charles Dongo: “Turnout is really important in Prince William County. We’re doing a lot on the ground in Prince William County. We have a bilingual door knocking program going on and we have Congressman Vindman helping out at different events.  I’ve done different events in Prince William County. We’re also really concerned about the misinformation. That is why we’re aggressively pushing back on the misinformation. It’s unfortunate that’s the way the other side wants to mislead voters. But we’re making sure that we’re sending a signal that our Democratic leadership are all on board, all united in voting YES. And we’re continuing to send out texts, to send out mail, to hit the doors on the  ground, as well as making sure our ads in the air are sending the same message so voters know that we’re in  this together and we are voting YES for Virginia. “

• Keren Charles Dongo: “…understand that none of us wanted to be here, but we’re here. We didn’t start it. This was MAGA Republicans and Trump trying to get seats from Texas. We did not start this, but we are here now. And we have to show up on behalf of Virginians and on behalf of Americans. We have to answer this moment. That is why this is a temporary measure. It is a temporary measure to address the emergency that we’re in right now. So…we definitely understand voters who supported the commission, but we’re just not in that era anymore. We’re in a  different era where voters and Virginians and Americans are seeing their gas prices go up. They’re seeing their country go in a direction that  they don’t want their country to go in. So, it is important that we answer the moment that we’re in. And that is also the importance of saying that this is temporary, because we understand it’s an emergency and we need to temporarily address it in order to do what is right for our Commonwealth, but also to do what’s right for America.”