On April 21, a special election was held to determine whether to allow the Virginia General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional district maps – a move that could shift the political balance of the state by the November midterms.

The constitutional amendment was passed with a narrow majority voting in favor, with 51.61% of voters voting yes and 48.39% voting no. This decision allows Virginia lawmakers to temporarily redraw the state’s congressional district map prior to the November elections. In Loudoun County, support for the proposal was higher, with 60.7% voting yes compared to 39.3% voting no. 

The ruling is expected to give Democrats a 10-1 seat advantage in the U.S. House, compared to the current split between six democrats and five republicans, which is a gain intended to offset Republican redistricting in states like Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina.

The results, however, are currently being challenged by the Republican Party, who have filed lawsuits, citing concerns with biased ballot language and the process of getting the amendment on the ballot. These challenges will soon be addressed by the Supreme Court of Virginia. 

Because the special election was only recently proposed, the Loudoun County School Board voted to close schools to ensure the safety of students and to accommodate polling operations for voting to run smoothly. 

The unexpected decision caused LCPS to have two consecutive B-days and only one A-day during the week. Some students were unhappy with the change in schedule. “I have three DE classes on my A-days, so I think I would like to have those classes and keep up and do some work for them,” senior Arjun Krishnagiri said.

Other seniors and first-time voters at Rock Ridge felt like closing schools was beneficial for them. “I feel like closing school allows more people [to vote], especially kids like me who wouldn’t [come to vote] if there was school,” senior Mackenzie Cooper said. 

Senior August Gay voted in the election and believes that voting, especially for young people, is an important way to participate in civic duty. “[This election] is very important to the state of Virginia,” Gay said. “It can do a lot for our country as a whole, so it’s really important, especially for young voters, to get out there and vote, because your voice matters even though it’s not a presidential election or for big state officers.” 

Some parents of LCPS students also supported the decision to close schools, believing that voting in the election was worth it. “[I support the decision to close school] because we are trying to contract Texas redistricting, so I think it is a good thing they are trying to stop that,” LCPS parent Deepthi Vattikuti said. “It’s not every day you have this election, and any election in a democratic country is important. If the government or the authorities feel like they are trying to counteract or balance, it’s to have the checks and balances in place.”

Other parents, including LCPS parent Bhaskar Raghaban, had a more mixed reaction. While he was happy that his child got to be exposed to the civic process, he also felt that schools were not justified in fully closing. “With the way our policies are being driven, the kids need to know about the process and learn the right thing right from a young age, so I feel good about bringing [my daughter to the polls],” Raghaban said. “[However], her being at home also makes us not able to work our day jobs. The school technically should not be closed. There could be additional security while the school is running on one part of the campus and the election is happening on the other part of the campus, so that definitely should be considered in the future.”

Some parents also felt that their child’s education should still have been prioritized over the elections. “I definitely feel the election is important because people’s voices are being heard by the government, but it should not be at the cost of [my child’s education],” LCPS parent Abraham Philip said. “Maybe changing the school day or maybe having a half day or [moving to] a non-school location [would be better].”

While some parents supported the decision, the unexpected school closure created some difficulties with scheduling. “I was a tad surprised, because I planned [on] going into the office on Tuesday, and then with [my daughter] being home today, I had to move to Thursday,” LCPS parent Ryan Anderson said. “I [also] think one of the problems that it does create is it breaks up [students’] schedules because there’s a weird break right in the middle of the week.”

However, Anderson still felt that closing schools for the election was justified. “Considering the current politics of the nation as a whole, our state has been pushed into a position where we now have to react to things that other states are doing, and so we’re stuck in this situation, so I think [this decision] was appropriate for what we have to do.”

As Virginia’s maps are redrawn, students and parents who turned up – or stayed at home – on April 21 will see the effects of this election play out in November.