On February 25, 2026, the Augusta County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution opposing the congressional redistricting of Augusta County into three separate congressional districts. The full text of the resolution is as follows:

Resolution

WHEREAS, Article XII § 1 of the Constitution of Virginia states, regarding amendment or amendments to the Constitution of Virginia, "If at such regular session or any subsequent special session of that General Assembly the proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by a majority of all the members elected to each house, then it shall be the duty of the General Assembly to submit such proposed amendment or amendments to the voters qualified to vote in elections by the people, in such manner as it shall prescribe and not sooner than ninety days after final passage by the General Assembly"; and

WHEREAS, the final passage of House Joint Resolution 4 occurred on January 16, 2026; and

WHEREAS, early voting for the referendum is scheduled to begin March 6, 2026 in the Commonwealth which date is sooner than the Constitutionally-prescribed 90 days after final passage; and

WHEREAS, the ballot language for the referendum states, “Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections, while ensuring Virginia's standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census?”; and

WHEREAS, Virginia House Bill 29, signed by the Governor on February 20, 2026, prescribes the congressional redistricting of Augusta County into three separate congressional districts where there is currently only one; and

WHEREAS, Virginia House Bill 29 states, in pertinent part, “That, if amendments to the Constitution of Virginia authorizing the General Assembly to modify congressional districts by amending Section 6 of Article II and amending the Schedule by adding a section numbered 6 are approved by a majority of those voting on the amendments at the special election on April 21, 2026, the provisions of the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh enactments and the provisions of § 24.2-304.05 of the Code of Virginia, as amended by the third enactment of this act, shall become effective immediately upon the certification of the results of such special election by the State Board of Elections”; and

WHEREAS the Board of Supervisors believes that fair representation requires congressional districts that respect regional integrity, preserve rural voices, and avoid politically motivated manipulation of district boundaries; and

WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors believes that the  rules of congressional districting, codified in Code of Virginia § 24.2-304.04 are violated by the redistricting set out in Virginia House Bill 29, to-wit: that districts shall be drawn to preserve communities of interest; that districts shall be composed of compact territory and shall be drawn employing one or more standard numerical measures of individual and average district compactness, both statewide and district by district; and that a map of districts shall not, when considered on a statewide basis, unduly favor or disfavor any political party.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Augusta County Board of Supervisors stands opposed to: i) the timing of early voting on the constitutional amendment referendum in violation of Article XII § 1 of the Constitution of Virginia, and ii) the wording “restore fairness” in the ballot question for the constitutional amendment referendum which presupposes that current congressional districting is unfair, thereby misleading voters; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Augusta County Board of Supervisors stands opposed to the congressional redistricting of Augusta County by Virginia House Bill 29, into three separate congressional districts where there is currently only one; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors encourages all Augusta County voters to vote in the upcoming special election/referendum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall be transmitted immediately to the Virginia Department of Elections, to the Office of the Attorney General, to the Office of the Governor of Virginia, to the members of the General Assembly of Virginia, to the Members of the United States Congress representing Virginia, to the Supreme Court of Virginia, and to the United States Supreme Court.

Adopted: February 25, 2026

[signed] 

Jeffrey A. Slaven

Chair, Augusta County Board of Supervisors