The April 21 redistricting referendum will be a test of courage worthy of the Commonwealth’s Founding Generation.

by David Botkins

There are moments when the question before us as Republicans and as Virginians is not simply what we believe, but whether we still have the courage to act on those beliefs.

We are in such a moment now — a moment of crisis, yes, but also a moment of choosing. We stand at a crossroads in the life of our Commonwealth. The political landscape has shifted beneath our feet. Republicans are exhausted, demoralized, and outnumbered. Institutions we trusted have been bent, the rules rewritten, and our voters pushed to the margins. It is tempting to hope that courts, national figures, or the next election cycle will somehow reverse the tide.

But deep down, we know the truth: no one is coming to save Virginia but Virginians themselves.

And that realization brings me back to the 250th anniversary of the nation we helped birth. The idea that free people can govern themselves was not theoretical here. It was lived, defended, and handed down. Now it falls to us — weary as we may be — to decide whether that inheritance will endure.

A commonwealth under one-party rule

For the first time in years, Democrats hold every statewide office and both chambers of the General Assembly. That is the result of recent elections. But what they have chosen to do with that power should alarm anyone who believes in balance, fairness, and the integrity of our institutions.

The proposed constitutional amendment to suspend the bipartisan redistricting commission — approved by nearly three million Virginians in 2020 — is not a minor adjustment. It is an attempt to reclaim the power to redraw congressional lines mid‑decade, reversing the will of the voters.

At the same time, other legislation has advanced to award Virginia’s Electoral College votes in presidential elections to the winner of the national popular vote, even if Virginians choose differently. That would dilute the Commonwealth’s voice and outsource our electoral power to larger states like California and New York.

These actions and others form a clear pattern: consolidate power, marginalize Republicans, and weaken the mechanisms that ensure fair representation. This is not political hardball. It is a direct challenge to the principles that have guided Virginia for centuries.

A tired party facing a familiar test

Let’s be honest. Virginia Republicans are tired. We have endured losses. We have watched one‑party rule reshape the Commonwealth. Our voters have been marginalized, our voice diminished, and our efforts outnumbered and outspent.

But exhaustion is not the end of a cause. History teaches us that.

In the winter of 1776, the patriot cause was exhausted, demoralized, and badly outnumbered. Many believed the fight was over. The British certainly did. But George Washington understood something essential: that even a weary army, united around a just cause, could still change the course of history.

His daring crossing of the Delaware and the victory at Trenton did not end the war – it revived the spirit of a people who had been counted out. It proved the cause was not lost. It proved the patriots were not finished. It turned the tide.

Virginia Republicans know something about being counted out. But like those patriots in 1776, we are not finished. And the referendum on April 21 is our Trenton — a moment to rally, to unify, and to remind the Commonwealth that we still believe in the principles that built this nation.

A partisan fight with civic consequences

This is a partisan fight. Democrats are advancing these measures because they can — because they hold the power and believe it will entrench their advantage. But the consequences extend far beyond party lines.

Independents who value fairness can see what is happening. Moderate Democrats who believe in checks and balances can see it too. Anyone who cares about the integrity of our institutions should be concerned when the rules of representation are rewritten for partisan gain.

The referendum is not merely a Republican cause. It is a Virginia cause — one Republicans must lead.

A rallying opportunity for a party that needs one

For years, Republicans in Virginia have been searching for a unifying cause — something larger than any one personality or faction. The April 21 referendum is that cause.

Defeating this amendment would protect the voter‑approved redistricting commission, preserve fairness in representation, check one‑party overreach, and reassert the people’s authority. It would also demonstrate that Republicans can still win when we stand together.

More importantly, it would remind Virginians that the Republican Party remains the guardian of balance, constitutional order, and the principles that made this Commonwealth the birthplace of American liberty.

A message to the faith community

Churches and faith‑based organizations are not political machines, nor should they be.

…but they are moral anchors.

When the rules of self‑government are bent, when the people’s will is overridden, when power is consolidated rather than checked, the faith community has every right — and every responsibility — to speak. Not as partisans, but as stewards of truth, justice, and civic virtue.

The Republican creed still speaks

In moments like this, we can return to the Republican Creed of Virginia — a document that has guided generations of conservatives. It affirms free enterprise is the most productive supplier of human needs. Individuals are entitled to equal rights and opportunities. Fiscal responsibility is a moral duty. Constitutional limitations protect liberty. Peace is preserved through strength. And faith in God is essential to the moral fiber of the nation.

These principles are not outdated. They are enduring.

And they are being tested.

A charge for the Commonwealth

As a Virginian who loves this place and believes in its future:

This is our moment to stand. This is our moment to unify. This is our moment to choose the Commonwealth over comfort, principle over passivity, and courage over cynicism. We have been tired before. We have been outnumbered before. And yet, like those patriots in the winter of 1776, we are still here — still fighting, still believing, still unwilling to surrender the promise of self‑government to those who would rewrite the rules for their own advantage.

The referendum on April 21 is not just another vote. It is the line in the sand. It is the moment when Virginians decide whether we still govern ourselves or whether we will allow one‑party rule to redraw the boundaries of our democracy. It is the moment when Republicans — exhausted, yes, but unbroken — prove we are still capable of rallying around a just cause and prevailing.

Vote early. As early as March 6.

Vote with conviction.
Vote to defend the integrity of our Republic.
Vote to preserve the bipartisan redistricting commission the people approved.

Vote NO on April 21.

If we rise to this moment — if we seize it with the same resolve that carried Washington across the Delaware — then this will not be remembered as a season of decline. It will be remembered as the beginning of a comeback. The moment when a weary but determined people stood up, pushed back, and reclaimed the Commonwealth they love.

And history will record that when Virginia needed its citizens most, we Republicans answered the call — together.

DAVID BOTKINS of Henrico County serves on the State Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia, was a 2024 delegate to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and is an unabashed cheerleader for all things Virginia 250th. This column is republished with permission from The Republican Standard.