Civil Rights Leaders Condemn “Misleading” Campaign Against Virginia Redistricting Referendum

Civil rights leaders in Virginia have launched a forceful rebuke against what they describe as a deceptive political campaign opposing the state’s upcoming redistricting referendum, accusing opponents of exploiting civil rights imagery and spreading misinformation to influence voters ahead of the April 21 vote.

At a news conference held Wednesday at Richmond’s Maggie L. Walker Memorial Plaza, representatives from the NAACP Virginia State Conference criticized mailers distributed by Justice for Democracy PAC, a group opposing the referendum that has received increased scrutiny for its messaging tactics and funding sources.

“On this April Fool’s Day, don’t be fooled into voting ‘no,'” said Gaylene Kanoyton, political action chair of the NAACP Virginia State Conference. She highlighted what she called misleading claims in the campaign’s materials, including mailers that invoke civil rights movement imagery and quotes from former President Barack Obama that she says are presented without proper context.

The controversy centers on campaign literature featuring Obama alongside statements urging opposition to the referendum. Civil rights leaders pointed out that the quotes date to July 2020 when Virginia voters were considering a different constitutional amendment. More recently, Obama has publicly endorsed Virginia’s current redistricting effort in a video released in early March.

“Virginia, we’re counting on you,” Obama said in a mailer paid for by the Democratic Party of Virginia. “Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21.”

Virginia NAACP President Cozy Bailey emphasized that invoking both the civil rights movement and Obama in opposition materials “creates anxiety” among voters, particularly Black voters. “That’s why we’re standing here today to fight against that disinformation, to relieve that anxiety, so that people can make an intelligent choice,” he said. “And we feel that intelligent choice is to vote ‘yes.'”

The referendum would allow state lawmakers to temporarily redraw congressional districts mid-decade, which supporters frame as a necessary response to aggressive redistricting efforts in Republican-led states across the country. “Virginia has no choice but to respond to protect our democracy,” Bailey added.

Money and Messaging at Center of Dispute

Recent campaign finance disclosures have intensified the controversy, revealing that Justice for Democracy PAC has received at least $2.5 million from Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, an organization backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a prominent financial supporter of former President Donald Trump.

This funding revelation prompted sharp criticism from Democratic leaders, including Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who linked the opposition campaign to what he described as a broader effort to mislead voters.

“Peter Thiel, one of Donald Trump’s top billionaire backers, is spending millions in Virginia to push a campaign built on lies and racial division,” Jones said in a statement. “These ads deliberately exploit the history of Jim Crow and the civil rights movement to mislead Black voters and suppress participation. That is not just offensive. It is a modern playbook for voter suppression.”

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott of Portsmouth, the first Black Speaker in the state’s history, echoed this sentiment, accusing the campaign of attempting to manipulate voters with outside money. “Now Virginians know exactly who is behind these lies,” Scott said. “Our elections belong to the people — not out-of-state tech billionaires using cheap tricks to manipulate voters.”

The Justice for Democracy PAC is led by former Delegate A.C. Cordoza of Hampton Roads, a Republican who served two terms in the House of Delegates and was the sole Black member of the House GOP caucus until losing his reelection bid last November. While the group has defended its messaging as raising legitimate concerns about voter representation, civil rights leaders maintain the tactics distort history and risk confusing voters.

Republicans Push Back

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, defended the opposition campaign, arguing that the referendum itself is being presented in a misleading way. “The single most misleading thing about this vote is the ballot language,” Kilgore said. “Promising to ‘restore fairness’ is not neutral framing. Complaining about someone quoting President Obama or even Governor Spanberger accurately? Glass houses and all that.”

The debate has increasingly featured high-profile political figures on both sides. References to Trump have appeared in pro-referendum messaging, including a billboard in Page County erected by the local Democratic committee that quotes Trump saying “take over the voting” while urging voters to support the amendment.

Bailey noted that while the NAACP was not involved in that billboard, the reference reflects the broader context of the referendum debate, pointing to Trump’s earlier calls for redistricting efforts in Republican-led states.

With early voting already underway and Election Day approaching, NAACP leaders said they hope to provide clarity amid what they view as a coordinated misinformation campaign.

“We’re standing here today to fight against that disinformation,” Bailey said, “so that people can make an intelligent choice.”