RICHMOND, Va. — On Tuesday, the Virginia House of Delegates made significant progress by approving resolutions aimed at embedding rights to abortion, voting, and marriage equality into the state constitution. This marks an essential stride for Democrats who are aiming to propose constitutional changes in the upcoming year.
With a narrow Democratic majority of 51-49, the House moved forward with these three proposed amendments, which are set to accompany similar resolutions as they advance through the Senate. Unlike standard legislation, proposed constitutional amendments cannot be vetoed by the governor. However, they must pass twice within two years, and there must be a legislative election between each voting session. Following this process, the issues will ultimately be put to a public referendum.
If the abortion-related measure is approved, Virginia would stand out as a southern state embracing the trend of allowing voters to decide on reproductive rights through ballot measures. Democratic Majority Leader Charniele Herring, a key supporter of the amendment to protect abortion rights, expressed confidence in Virginia voters, contrasting her views with those of the opposing party.
During a spirited discussion, Republican representatives criticized the abortion protection amendment, which was passed along party lines. Republican Delegate Mark Earley referred to the resolution as an extreme view that does not respect the sanctity of life from conception. “This resolution is not only extreme — and it is,” he stated on the House floor, adding that it ultimately disregards the futures and lives of children.
Democratic Delegate Candi Mundon King countered this perspective, urging her colleagues to consider the dilemmas faced by women confronted with life-threatening pregnancies. “Let’s pass this resolution so that people who probably couldn’t find a uterus with a map are not making decisions about women’s health care,” King asserted, criticizing her opponents’ viewpoints.
In recent years, voters across the United States have addressed abortion rights in 18 different ballot measures since 2022, supporting advocates for reproductive rights in 14 of those instances. Constitutional amendments confirming the right to abortion until fetal viability have been approved by voters in nine states, including Arizona, California, and Vermont. Voters in Nevada also passed a measure related to abortion rights, although it must gain approval once more in 2026 to be etched into the constitution.
Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers emphasized the importance of these constitutional amendments as they align with their legislative goals this year. During a press conference featuring Virginia’s Black legislators, Senator Jennifer Carroll-Foy articulated the necessity of these amendments for overcoming systemic inequality. “Virginia has been going backward for far too long,” she remarked. “We understand that we were the home of segregation … of slavery, of Jim Crow. And now we are forward-facing and forward-moving.”
Additionally, in a bipartisan vote of 55-44, legislators approved changes to Virginia’s process for restoring voting rights to individuals who have served felony sentences. This decision followed objections to Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s recent measures to limit the restoration process, which voting rights advocates criticized as regressive. Virginia currently stands as the only state where individuals convicted of felonies face permanent disqualification from voting unless their rights are restored by a governor.
Democratic Delegate Cia Price implored her colleagues to support the amendment, saying, “We cannot live in the past; we have to live in the present.” She chastised the current governor for the slow restoration of voting rights compared to previous administrations.
Previous attempts to introduce these resolutions in 2022 and 2023 failed when Republicans held a majority in the House. The passage of the amendments next year will likely depend on Democrats’ ability to maintain their majority as all House seats are up for election this November.
The resolution related to marriage equality drew the most bipartisan support, passing with a 58-35 vote. Democratic Delegate Mark Sickles described the proposal as a reflection of changing public attitudes in the state. “The public opinion changed so much,” he noted, referencing how perspectives have evolved significantly over time, including those of prominent political figures like Barack Obama.
