Virginia voters have approved a redistricting measure that could hand Democrats control of the thinly-divided US House of Representatives, according to US media reports.
The state is the latest front in a national battle to redraw congressional districts after President Donald Trump and Republicans initiated a national gerrymandering push aimed at helping conservatives maintain a congressional majority.
Democrats in California last year approved a similar measure to change the state's voting districts, with the goal of cancelling gains made by Republicans in redrawn maps in Texas.
Virginia's passed amendment will redraw the state's congressional map to flip as many as four House seats held by Republicans.
Currently, Democrats hold six out of Virginia's eleven congressional seats, but with the new map, they could potentially secure ten.
The redistricting referendum is the most expensive ballot measure in Virginia's history, with over $80 million raised as of earlier this month by groups on both sides of the issue, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Trump criticized the Virginia measure in a recent statement, warning that a Democratic House majority would lead to disastrous outcomes, and mentioned gerrymandering as a negative factor.
Every decade, states typically redraw their voting maps after new population data is released as part of the US Census. Texas was among the first to implement mid-decade changes, setting a trend for other states.
In the complex chess game of US politics, gerrymandering remains a controversial yet prevalent strategy that influences electoral outcomes, with both parties engaging in tactics to fortify their positions.
