Virginia civil rights leaders decry ‘misinformation’ in redistricting fight

Civil rights leaders in Virginia on Wednesday denounced a political campaign opposing the state’s April 21 redistricting referendum, accusing it of spreading misinformation and exploiting civil rights imagery to sway voters.

At a news conference at Maggie L. Walker Memorial Plaza in Richmond, leaders with the NAACP Virginia State Conference sharply criticized mailers distributed by the Justice for Democracy PAC, a group opposing the referendum that has drawn scrutiny for its messaging and funding.

“On this April Fool’s Day, don’t be fooled into voting ‘no,’” Gaylene Kanoyton, political action chair of the NAACP Virginia State Conference said.

She emphasized that the campaign’s messaging relies on misleading claims and selective historical references, including mailers invoking the civil rights movement and quoting former President Barack Obama out of context.

“The same groups that mislead now were silent when redistricting in states like North Carolina, Texas and Missouri benefited their agenda,” she said.

Kanoyton held up one of the mailers, which she described as “misinformation mail,” featuring an image of Obama alongside a quote urging opposition to the referendum.

“For too long, gerrymandering has contributed to stalled progress and warped our representative government,” the flyer reads and urges a vote against the redistricting amendment.

The quote dates to July 2020, when Virginia voters were considering a constitutional amendment aimed at curbing gerrymandering. At the time, Obama supported that effort, but he has since publicly endorsed Virginia’s redistricting effort in a video in early March. 

Civil rights leaders said the mailer omits the context of that earlier debate and contradicts Obama’s more recent position from last month, when he encouraged Virginians to support the measure.

“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.”

Cordoza-led PAC at center of backlash

The dueling messages underscore the increasingly nationalized fight over Virginia’s referendum, which would allow lawmakers to temporarily redraw congressional districts mid-decade in response to aggressive redistricting efforts in other states.

The Justice for Democracy PAC, one of several organizations leading the campaign against the measure, is spearheaded by former Del. 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 he lost his reelection bid last November.

The group has defended its use of civil rights-era imagery and rhetoric, arguing it is raising concerns about voter representation. But civil rights leaders said those tactics distort history and risk confusing voters, particularly Black voters.

Virginia NAACP President Cozy Bailey said Wednesday that invoking both the civil rights movement and Obama in opposition to the referendum “creates anxiety” among 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.’”

Bailey framed the referendum as part of a broader national response to redistricting efforts in Republican-led states, where new maps have reshaped congressional representation.

“Virginia has no choice but to respond to protect our democracy,” he said.

National fight spills into Virginia referendum debate

The NAACP’s remarks come as new campaign finance disclosures shed light on the funding behind the Justice for Democracy PAC, which had previously been unclear.

Recent filings show the group has received at least $2.5 million from Per Aspera Policy Incorporated, a dark-money organization backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, a prominent financial supporter of President Donald Trump.

The revelation drew sharp criticism from Democratic leaders, including Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who criticized the funding and messaging behind the opposition campaign, linking it to what he described as a broader effort to mislead voters and suppress participation.

He pointed specifically to the role of Thiel and the use of civil rights imagery in campaign materials.

“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 Wednesday.

“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.”

And Virginia House Speaker Don Scott of Portsmouth accused the campaign of attempting to mislead voters with outside money.

“Now Virginians know exactly who is behind these lies. Peter Thiel — a Silicon Valley tech billionaire, one of Donald Trump and JD Vance’s biggest donors, and someone who has openly questioned whether democracy even works — is now pouring millions into Virginia to mislead our voters,” Scott said in a statement.

He added that the effort reflects a broader attempt to influence elections through deceptive tactics.

“He thinks he can trick Virginians. Just like Trump, he thinks he can rig the midterms. And he’s doing it by funding a campaign built on deception,” Scott said.

“As the first Black Speaker in Virginia’s history, I don’t take this lightly. Our elections belong to the people — not out-of-state tech billionaires using cheap tricks to manipulate voters. Virginia can fight back by voting YES.”

House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, pushed back on criticism of the opposition campaign, arguing that the referendum itself is being presented in a misleading way to voters.

“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.”

Competing messages escalate ahead of April 21 vote

The debate over the referendum has increasingly featured high-profile political figures and competing narratives about democracy and representation.

Obama’s support for the measure has been a central talking point for proponents, while opponents have sought to frame the proposal as a step backward for fair representation.

At the same time, references to Trump have appeared in pro-referendum messaging. 

In Page County, the local Democratic committee erected a billboard quoting Trump — “take over the voting” — while urging voters to support the amendment.

Bailey said that while the NAACP was not involved in that billboard, the reference reflects the broader context in which the referendum is being debated.

“It’s germane to this activity that’s going on now,” he said, pointing to Trump’s earlier calls for redistricting efforts in Republican-led states.

Overall, Bailey said the Republican-backed campaign’s tactics are contributing to confusion at a critical moment, as early voting is already underway and Election Day approaches.

By speaking out, NAACP leaders said they hope to provide clarity and counter what they see as a coordinated misinformation effort.

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

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