A political mailer referencing Jim Crow and the Ku Klux Klan is circulating in Virginia ahead of the April 21 redistricting referendum, prompting criticism from state lawmakers and members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.
The mailer urges voters to oppose the referendum and return their ballots immediately. One side reads, “Our ancestors fought to represent us,” followed by the line, “Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.”
The other side states, “Just like Jim Crow, they want to silence yourvoice,” alongside historical images from the civil rights era and photographs showing individuals wearing Ku Klux Klan robes.
The piece identifies Democracy and Justice PAC as the sponsor.
According to reporting by WRIC, the mailer is part of ongoing campaigning surrounding the statewide referendum, which will determine how Virginia handles legislative and congressional redistricting.
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott criticized the mailer in a statement released Sunday.
“The civil rights movement is not a prop,” Scott said. “The blood, sacrifice, and courage of those who marched, who were beaten, who died for the right to vote – that legacy belongs to all of us, and it will not be hijacked by shadowy GOP political operatives to deceive the very communities it was meant to protect.”
Scott also referenced redistricting battles in other states.
“Make no mistake about what this referendum is,” he said. “It is a direct response to what Donald Trump and Republicans have already done in states like Texas redrawing congressional maps to give themselves more seats and avoid accountability from voters.”
The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus also issued a statement condemning the imagery used in the mailers.
“The NO effort’s use of historical images from the civil rights movement alongside images of the terrorist Klan organization is absolutely appalling,” the caucus said in a statement. “Further, the language asserts that the ballot measure is targeting Black Virginians which simply isn’t true.”
The caucus said it supports the Vote YES campaign in the referendum.
Early voting in the election began March 6. Election Day is scheduled for April 21.
The referendum asks voters whether to approve changes to how Virginia draws legislative and congressional districts, a process that occurs every ten years following the U.S. Census.
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