Democrats Plan to Racially Redline Voting Districts in Virginia’s Largest City
Democrat Sen. Aaron Rouse condemns developer influence in city government—yet he’s funded by big developer money.
Sen. Aaron Rouse (D-Virginia Beach), Chair of the Virginia Senate Privileges and Elections committee, is behind a plan to racially gerrymander voting districts in Virginia’s biggest city. He has ruffled feathers for his activist policies and bold statements that open him up to accusations of hypocrisy.
Rouse calls the gerrymandering scheme “nonpartisan,” despite its supporters explicitly proclaiming its preferences to racial minorities and diluting conservative voting blocs.
On top of that, campaign finance reports show Rouse is heavily funded by big money developer interests despite railing against “big money donors.” Other reports indicate questionable ties to a political campaign advocating for the gerrymandering scheme.
Sen. Rouse’s support for majority-minority districts smacks of machine politics, dark money, and deceitful tactics.
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Background on the Referendum
In November, Virginia Beach voters will cast their ballot in an advisory referendum about whether to change its method of electing local city representatives.
The referendum is the product of a years-long legal battle backed by far-left dark money special interests who’ve been trying to influence local elections. Virginia Beach Democrats, among them Sen. Rouse and Del. Alex Askew, are pushing a new 10-1 voting system that was drawn with racially gerrymandered lines by a “special master” and his assistant with concerning partisan ties.
The 10-1 system is a throwback to 1960s “redline” housing discrimination practices pushed by Jim Crow Democrats to suppress black votes. Now, Democrats view it as an opportunity to carve up the Republican-leaning city by racially gerrymandering minority voters, leading to a permanent Democrat majority.
Senator Rouse’s Hypocrisy
In a recent activist forum led by Rouse, he promoted the 10-1 system to become law and to create 3 permanent minority voting districts.
Sen. Rouse claimed, “this is not a partisan issue,” yet there was only one speaker out of seven at his event who wasn’t a die-hard Democrat. Rouse also said, “What we are up against is big money interests”—a deeply ironic claim if you look at Rouse’s campaign finance reports.
Rouse has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from special interest groups and developers.
When Rouse was on city council, he was a willing beneficiary of those same developer dollars he decries. He accepted tens of thousands of dollars from local developers such as Franklin Johnston Group, Armada Hoffler, Breeden Companies, Johnson Development, Runnymede, McLeskey & Associates, MEB Contractors, and more.
One of Rouse’s largest donors, who gave him over $50,000 in 2025, is mega real estate developer Comstock Holdings. Rouse also took $360,000 from a radical climate activist group founded by millionaire Michael Bills, known as “the George Soros of Virginia.”
Rouse claims the advocacy for the 10-1 system is “not about race,” but about big money developers funding and controlling elected officials.
Yet Rouse’s ally Del. Askew admitted the 10-1 system is a racist ploy, saying people under that system “felt like they had a voice on city council that looked like them, that’s what the 10-1 system is all about.” Askew doesn’t think white representatives can understand the issues of non-white people and assumes black voters make their ballot choice based solely on race.
Rouse has ties to a political referendum campaign called Yes for Virginia Beach pushing the new racially gerrymandered 10-1 system. He uses his taxpayer funded legislative office as the address for Yes for Virginia Beach. Rouse’s legislative Chief of Staff, Ryan Jackson, is identified on election documents as the executive of the political committee. Rouse also used the same address for his failed bid for the Democrat nomination for lieutenant governor earlier this year. Virginia taxpayers provide $15,000 per year to each Virginia legislator specifically for a district office.
Will Virginia Beach Voters Fall for It?
Voters in Virginia Beach will make their voices known about whether they prefer a new 10-1 voting system. The current system in place, the 7-3-1 system, gives voters the opportunity to choose 5 seats on city council (1 district, 3 at-large, 1 mayor) and school board (1 district, 4 at-large). The 10-1 system would only allow voters to choose 2 seats on city council (1 district, 1 mayor) and school board (1 district, 1 at-large).
Why are Rouse and other Democrats advocating for people to have fewer choices?
Even if voters side with Rouse, his efforts may be thwarted by the United States Supreme Court, which will rule in October about whether racial gerrymandering violates the constitution. The high court will most likely deem racial gerrymandering unconstitutional and prohibit the racial minority voting districts Rouse is pushing.
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