{"id":2601783,"date":"2026-05-12T15:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-ask-scotus-to-classify-virginias-45-day-election-as-a-single-day-event\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:40:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:40:48","slug":"democrats-ask-scotus-to-classify-virginias-45-day-election-as-a-single-day-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-ask-scotus-to-classify-virginias-45-day-election-as-a-single-day-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Dems Ask SCOTUS To Say 45-Day Election Is &#8216;Single Day&#8217; Event"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-ask-scotus-to-classify-virginias-45-day-election-as-a-single-day-event%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2601783&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Virginia Democrats, led by Attorney General Jay Jones, have asked the U.S. Supreme court to overturn a Virginia Supreme Court ruling that blocked their effort to gerrymander the state. they again argue that an \u201celection\u201d should be treated as a single \u201cElection Day,\u201d even though voting lasted for 45 days.<\/p>\n<p>The Virginia Supreme Court rejected that idea, ruling that the constitutionally relevant \u201celection\u201d encompasses the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >entire voting period-meaning early voters<\/a> were not unfairly deprived of the chance to weigh in on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/proposed-constitutional-change-to-expand-abortion-access-in-florida-gains-momentum\/\" title=\"Florida&#039;s push to expand abortion access gains traction with proposed constitutional change.\">proposed constitutional change<\/a>. It also disputed the Democrats\u2019 theories about how federal election law should be applied and how much leeway state courts have to review election-related disputes.<\/p>\n<p>Observers expect the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss the emergency request, including on jurisdictional grounds, since it cannot directly resolve Virginia\u2019s state constitutional issues. There\u2019s also criticism that the Democrats\u2019 filings and related court steps have been error-prone, including procedural missteps and typos.<\/p>\n<p>Along with arguing about definitions of federal election terms, Jones\u2019s appeal cites *Moore v. Harper*, claiming the Virginia court exceeded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-scotus-ruling-limits-state-court-interference-with-election-laws\/\" title=\"SCOTUS ... curbs ... court meddling in election laws.\">ordinary judicial review<\/a>.Critics counter that this argument relies on a narrow exception and is unlikely to persuade the high court.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Virginia Democrats, led by Attorney General Jay Jones, have appealed a state Supreme Court decision blocking their attempt to gerrymander the state to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing once again that \u201cElection Day\u201d is only one day, despite the \u201celection\u201d being 45 days long.<\/p>\n<p>Pro-gerrymander Democrats are making the same <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/09\/virginias-pro-gerrymander-dems-argued-election-is-single-day-after-forcing-45-day-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">argument<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/DocketPDF\/25\/25A1240\/408563\/20260511151941216_25A%20Application%20for%20Stay.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> that they have throughout the legal process: Voting may be 45 days long, but only a single \u201cElection Day\u201d counts as the \u201celection.\u201d That framework is how Democrats were able to shoehorn in the gerrymandering referendum in the first place, effectively disenfranchising more than 1.3 million voters who had already been voting for 42 days before the measure passed in the General Assembly.<\/p>\n<p>On Friday, the Virginia Supreme Court disabused Jones and the Democrats of their flawed argument, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/08\/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-democrat-gerrymander\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stating<\/a> that the theory would mean \u201cearly Virginia voters unknowingly forfeited their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-supreme-court-strikes-down-democrat-gerrymander\/\" title=\"... ... Strikes Down Democrat ...\">constitutionally protected opportunity<\/a> to vote for or against delegates who favor or disfavor amending the Constitution by not anticipating\u201d Dems\u00a0forcing the amendment through the General Assembly in the final days of the voting. The majority also <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/09\/virginias-pro-gerrymander-dems-argued-election-is-single-day-after-forcing-45-day-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defined<\/a> what an \u201celection\u201d actually means, and how that includes the entire period of voting, from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court is <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KenCuccinelli\/status\/2053939348693733658?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expected<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EdWhelanEPPC\/status\/2053951634695151876?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reject<\/a> the emergency petition on the grounds that it has no jurisdiction to rule on state constitutional issues. Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said the Democrats are trying to cite federal election cases in an attempt to manufacture jurisdiction for the high court, but added that those cases are \u201cnot controlling\u201d in Virginia. \u201cI think we need some remedial civics classes among certain Va. elected officials,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n<p>Further, as Ed Whelan of the Ethics and Public Policy Center <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EdWhelanEPPC\/status\/2054188556101239183?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>, Chief Justice John Roberts has not entered the administrative stay Virginia requested, and instead asked that the Republicans on the other side of the case respond by Thursday. Roberts oversees the 4th Judicial Circuit, which includes Virginia, and will therefore make the decision to reject or deny the petition.<\/p>\n<p>Whelan also said that the Supreme Court won\u2019t take the case, but even if it did, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-to-hear-appeal-over-ky-abortion-law\/\" title=\"SCOTUS to hear ... over Ky. abortion law\">lower court ruling<\/a> would remain in place. \u201cSo Virginia isn\u2019t even asking for the right relief,\u201d Whelan <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EdWhelanEPPC\/status\/2053951634695151876?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. He anticipates a unanimous court to reject Virginia by Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.virginiascope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SCOTUS-appeal.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filing<\/a> from Jones\u2019 office makes two primary arguments trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule the Virginia high court.<\/p>\n<p>Jones and the Democrats maintain that the state Supreme Court\u2019s opinion \u201cpredicated its interpretation of the Virginia Constitution on a grave misreading of federal law, which expressly fixes a single day for the \u2018election\u2019 of Representatives and Delegates to Congress.\u201d However, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EdWhelanEPPC\/status\/2053938232904024353\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to Whelan, the Virginia Supreme Court\u2019s citation of a SCOTUS opinion about the definition of elections doesn\u2019t prove that the issue is federal in nature and thus within the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s purview.<\/p>\n<p>The second issue Jones and Democrats raised was whether the state Supreme Court went beyond ordinary judicial review. They cited <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2022\/21-1271\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Moore v. Harper<\/em><\/a>, where the U.S. Supreme Court decided the legislature does not have sole authority over setting rules regarding federal elections allowing for state courts to review. Virginia Democrats argued that the state court \u201ctransgressed the ordinary bounds of judicial review such that it arrogated to itself the power vested in the state legislature to regulate federal elections.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whelan said that the argument is based on a \u201cnarrow exception\u201d in <em>Moore<\/em> and that \u201cno justice is going to find the court\u2019s ruling manifestly bonkers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Virginia\u2019s appeal process to the U.S. Supreme Court has been notable for its sloppiness, as well.<\/p>\n<p>The appeal process began with a two-page \u201cjoint motion to delay issuing mandate\u201d asking the Supreme Court of Virginia to delay enforcement of its decision so that the Democrats could appeal to the federal high court. The motion was replete with misspellings like \u201csentator\u201d and \u201cVirgnia,\u201d but by the time the full appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was published, Jones\u2019 team made another proofreading blunder and filed the emergency application with the Supreme Court of Virginia instead of the U.S. Supreme Court. The blunders come after Jones\u2019 office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/newly-minted-virginia-ag-who-fantasized-about-opponents-family-dying-roasted-over-glaring-typo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">misspelled<\/a> \u201cattorney\u201d as \u201cattoney\u201d in one of its first releases.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia Democrats appeal against blocking gerrymander attempt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2601784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-12-130126.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[79543,3685,33739,6994,32570],"class_list":["post-2601783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-45-day-rule","tag-democrats","tag-election-law","tag-scotus","tag-voting-rights"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-12-130126.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2601783"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601783\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601787,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2601783\/revisions\/2601787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2601784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2601783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2601783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2601783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}