Virginia Democratic leaders are condemning a political mail campaign that used images of the Ku Klux Klan and civil rights marches in materials sent to Black voters ahead of a statewide redistricting vote.

Virginia Public Media reporter Jhad Khalil, who received the campaign materials in the mail himself, first reported the incident via X, writing, “A PAC campaigning against the Virginia redistricting amendment is clearly targeting Black voters. This mailer I got today uses ‘ancestors’ to reference the civil rights movement, and is using photos of the KKK and police targeting young Black girls.”

The flyers read, “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away” and “Just like Jim Crow, they want to silence your voice.”

The Jim Crow era, enforced through policies such as literacy tests, poll taxes and violence aimed at disenfranchising Black Americans, continues to shape voting rights advocacy today.

According to Democracy Docket, while the flyers present such stark and urgent messaging around the proposal, there’s little information about the ballot initiative the group is urging voters to oppose.

The news outlet notes that under the redistricting proposal, Virginia Democrats could gain four additional seats in Congress.

Who’s behind the mailer campaign? 

Questions have emerged on social media about the group behind the mailers.

“A group, Justice for Democracy, has been sending out mailers and texts with some clear dog whistles,” Virginia Young Democrats President Matt Royer wrote on X, “using varying disclaimers in Virginia (‘Democracy and Justice PAC’ and ‘Justice for Democracy PAC’).”

Royer added that the group lists Christopher Woodfin as its treasurer and shares an address with WoodfinLaw, a firm he said has previously provided legal services to several Republican candidates in Virginia and has received over $366,000 in payments over the past eight years.

Virginia Mercury reports that Democracy and Justice PAC Chairman A.C. Cordoza of Hampton Roads, “defended” the efforts during a press conference earlier this week, brushing off outrage fro Democratic opponents. 

“I know there’s some controversy behind (the campaign),” Cordoza said, per Virginia Mercury. “My statement is very simple. The people who have controversy with this mailer are the same people talking about fairness while constructing a map that disenfranchises Black voters in favor of Northern Virginia legislators. It’s a shameful act.”

What critics are saying 

In comments to WTOP , Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who recently became Virginia’s first Black attorney general, described the mailers as “disturbing, shocking, offensive and deceptive.”

He emphasized, “It’s very clear a MAGA-linked group that opposes the referendum is sending these mailers to Black voters, and they’re misusing very, very hurtful imagery from the Civil Rights Movement, even invoking Jim Crow, to weaponize one of the darkest chapters in our history, to scare people into voting no and help Republicans maintain a rigged map for 2026 so they can keep control of Congress.”

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, who condemned the mailers via X, emphasized, “The civil rights movement is not a prop. The blood and sacrifice of those who marched, who were beaten, who died for the right to vote will not be hijacked by shadowy GOP operatives to deceive the very communities it was meant to protect.”

Furthermore, the Speaker urged voters to show up to the polls to vote “YES” by April 21. Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke of Hampton told Virginia Mercury that the message weaponized a “painful” past.

“As somebody who grew up under voter suppression and had to actually register under voter suppression … I know what it’s like,” Locke said. 

Locke added, “For people to now come along and use those same tactics is not only disingenuous, not just misguided, but stupid. If they think that people like me will go along with that kind of stupidity and take it, they’re insane.”

What’s next for the proposal?

The referendum has already faced legal challenges. A lower court initially blocked the election, but the Supreme Court of Virginia later ruled the vote could proceed, allowing Virginians to decide the issue at the polls, according to Democracy Docket.

Supporters say the amendment would allow lawmakers to redraw congressional districts they argue currently favor Republicans, while opponents say the proposal is politically motivated. With early voting underway, the dispute over the mail campaign has added another flashpoint to the already contentious fight over redistricting and voting rights in Virginia.

POLITICSVirginia