AMNA NAWAZ: In Virginia, voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on a ballot measure that could reshape the state's congressional map and potentially shift the balance of power in Washington.

Supporters say it's a necessary response to aggressive Republican-led redistricting in.

Opponents call it blatant partisanship.

Lisa Desjardins reports.

LISA DESJARDINS: In Virginia, a divide over ideas that once unified the state, democracy and fair play, with Democrats focusing on suburban Northern Virginia, arguing this balances out Republican power grabs in other states, but with Republicans arguing Virginia Democrats are doing the power grabbing.

This purple state has a near even split in Congress now, but a referendum would change that.

A yes vote would redraw the map so Democrats could pick up four seats, leaving just one clearly Republican district.

BARACK OBAMA, Former President of the United States: Help put our elections back on a level playing field.

LISA DESJARDINS: Big stakes have brought big names, like former President Barack Obama, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

There is a barrage of spending, nearly $100 million in all.

The national redistricting war started by Texas Republicans, at President Trump's urging, then volleyed through several other states.

But Virginia is likely Democrats' last chance to gain seats by remapping this year.

REP.

JAMES WALKINSHAW (D-VA): Very simple.

We have the opportunity to level that playing field.

LISA DESJARDINS: Which is why freshman Congressman and Democrat James Walkinshaw is at this event in his district in Fairfax County outside of Washington, along with many volunteers.

The effort is well funded and focused.

They believe Trump's actions are particularly driving backlash here.

REP.

JAMES WALKINSHAW: Look, I think DOGE,the DOGE chain saw that slashed through not just Northern Virginia, but all of Virginia, right, there's a lot of federal workers and now unfortunately former federal workers who live in every corner of the commonwealth.

LISA DESJARDINS: Like volunteer Gillian Sullivan.

GILLIAN SULLIVAN, Referendum Supporter: So I'm out here doing this because I was terminated as a probationary employee, and I... LISA DESJARDINS: By DOGE.

GILLIAN SULLIVAN: Yes, by DOGE.

LISA DESJARDINS: She was fired, rehired and then faced another possible federal layoff, so she reluctantly took the DOGE buyout.

That pushed Sullivan to volunteer for political campaigns.

GILLIAN SULLIVAN: Hi, I'm Gillian.

I'm here on behalf of Virginians for Fair Elections.

LISA DESJARDINS: She says this battle is about democracy and a fair shot to check President Trump.

GILLIAN SULLIVAN: This is a very pivotal moment.

And it's -- it's now or never.

REP.

BEN CLINE (R-VA): With Election Day, I think we're going to come out on top.

LISA DESJARDINS: But Republicans are betting on rural Virginia, like Congressman Ben Cline, in front of an overflowing crowd in Culpeper.

His district currently runs along the state's Blue Ridge Mountains, but under the proposed map, it has broken up entirely into five other districts.

His job would be in jeopardy and he thinks his area would lose power.

REP.

BEN CLINE (R-VA): They're really just tilting the scales and removing rural voices from the legislative process.

And that's something we have to say no to.

JODI NICHOLSON, Referendum Opponent: I used to teach preschool and it sounds like managing a preschool classroom, because, first of all, two wrongs don't make a right.

LISA DESJARDINS: Jodi Nicholson simply can't stomach the remapping.

She's not a shouter, sitting in the back at the rally.

She voted for Obama and then Trump.

But Nicholson sees the referendum as poisoning the balance between suburban Northern Virginia and the rest of the state.

JODI NICHOLSON: These two populations really don't understand each other.

They don't.

So there's just a disconnect that inevitably, if this referendum passes, those people are just going to be forgotten.

LISA DESJARDINS: To make the map more blue, Democrats would carve up deep blue Fairfax County.

Where I'm standing would be the intersection of three congressional districts, so that the apartment buildings over here would be in one congressional district.

Those over there would be in a second and then right over here, these folks would be in a third congressional district.

If you drove just a short distance away, you would find a fourth congressional district and then a fifth.

That's led to a new Republican catchphrase, "Don't Fairfax me," popping up.

Countering that, "Texas started it" bumper stickers.

Democrats stress the changes end after the 2030 census.

STATE REP.

DON SCOTT (D-VA): It's very clear that it's a temporary measure to deal with an unprecedented power grab from Donald Trump.

LISA DESJARDINS: The state's speaker of the House, Democrat Don Scott, says Virginia must push back at Trump now.

STATE REP.

DON SCOTT: Donald Trump is the president of the United States.

He's the speaker of the House.

He's the Senate majority leader.

He has an unprecedented power right now because no Republican in Congress will hold him to account.

LISA DESJARDINS: But this is not a simple party-line vote.

Even some Democrats say this goes too far.

BRIAN CANNON, No Gerrymandering Virginia: And we just do not have to adopt Trump's toxic politics or policies in order to be him in November and beyond.

LISA DESJARDINS: Brian Cannon helped create Virginia's current independent system to draw nonpartisan maps and opposes this redistricting.

BRIAN CANNON: It would be the worst gerrymandering Virginia's ever seen, and we have seen a good deal of them.

And as a Democrat, I'm telling my Democratic friends, we really don't need to cheat to win.

We don't need to burn this down.

LISA DESJARDINS: But what Virginians believe is not clear yet.

Polling indicates the remapping push has an edge, but this is the closest redistricting referendum the country has seen.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Lisa Desjardins in Virginia.

AMNA NAWAZ: And President Trump is personally joining the push against the Virginia ballot measure.

He's set to join a virtual rally tonight, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson.