NORFOLK, Va. — The circulation of campaign flyers urging Black Virginians to vote against a redistricting referendum was roundly criticized by Democrats this week for invoking Jim Crow and using imagery from the civil rights era.

The Democracy and Justice Political Action Committee paid for the campaign mailer, but campaign disclosures did not initially say who was behind the PAC — inviting speculation from Democrats that a Republican special interest group was involved. But a disclosure form provided Monday by the PAC’s attorney identifies the person behind the PAC as A.C. Cordoza, a Black former Republican state delegate.

Cordoza, who represented Hampton in the House of Delegates from 2022 to 2026, is chairman of Justice for Democracy PAC, which was registered March 5. Cordoza, who lost reelection last year, was the only Black Republican in the House of Delegates during his term.

In an interview, Cordoza said the constitutional amendment, which would allow for a redrawing of congressional maps mid-decade, was akin to the Jim Crow era, a reference to the racist laws passed between the 1870s and 1960s that enforced racial segregation and upheld white supremacy.

“These are the same people talking about fairness, they constructed a map that disenfranchises Black voters in favor of Northern Virginia legislators,” Cordoza said. “It’s quite shameful, they have Black districts that are now going to be watered down by people from Northern Virginia…they’re ripping apart Black districts to put in their hand-picked white representatives, and if that’s not Jim Crow, what is?”

As first reported by VPM, one side of the flyer reads “Just like Jim Crow, they want to silence your voice.” It includes two photos, one of members of the Ku Klux Klan walking down a street one and Black girls being pursued by white police officers. The other side reads “Our ancestors fought to represent us. Now Richmond politicians are trying to take our districts away.” It includes a photo of civil rights protest led by Black people.

Cordoza was unable to answer questions Monday about the flyers and where they were distributed, but said he endorsed the message.

Democrats, who have broadly endorsed redistricting as a way to fend off Republican gains made through redistricting in other states, were aghast at the campaign mailer.

Attorney General Jay Jones condemned the flyers, saying the misuse imagery from the Civil Rights movement to “falsely suggest the measure threatens Black representation.

“My parents and grandparents lived through the reality of Jim Crow in Virginia,” said Jones, the first Black person to serve as the state’s top prosecutor. “They experienced firsthand what it meant when the law and the political system were used to silence Black voices. That history is not a political prop, and it should never be exploited in a misleading attempt to confuse voters.”

The proposed districts, which would take effect if the referendum passes April 21, would give Democrats an advantage in 10 of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts. Democrats currently hold six seats and Republicans hold five.

House Speaker Don Scott similarly condemned the flyers, saying “The civil rights movement is not a prop.”

“The blood, sacrifice, and courage of those who marched, who were beaten, who died for the right to vote – that legacy belongs to all of us, and it will not be hijacked by shadowy GOP political operatives to deceive the very communities it was meant to protect,” he said.

The NAACP Virginia State Conference also condemned the flyers for the comparison to Jim Crow.

“While the NAACP is nonpartisan, we are deeply engaged in political advocacy to safeguard our communities,” said Rev. Dr. Cozy Bailey, president of the organization. “This referendum is crucial for ensuring fair representation for all communities and countering the manipulative tactics that threaten our civil rights.”

A public referendum is underway to allow Virginians to decide on a yes or no vote whether to approve a constitutional amendment that Democrats hope to use to redraw congressional districts to pick up more seats in the House of Representatives. Republicans say that’s a suppression of the will of the voters; Democrats say the move is necessary to even the playing field after President Donald Trump urged Republican-led state legislatures to redistrict in favor of their party. Thus far, six states — California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Utah — have implemented new congressional maps.

The flyers were paid for by the Democracy and Justice Political Action Committee, which filed a statement of organization with the Virginia Board of Elections March 5. Chris Woodfin, a lobbyist and attorney with Woodfin Law in Williamsburg, is listed as the organization’s treasurer and counsel. Cordoza is also chairman of the similarly named organization Justice for Democracy.

Woodfin confirmed that both of those organizations and a PAC formed last month called No Gerrymandering Virginia are clients of his, but said they were otherwise unaffiliated. Initial large donor campaign finance reports showed that William Fralin, a former delegate who represented parts of Botetourt and Roanoke Counties from 2004 to 2010, had donated $10,000 to Justice for Democracy. But that’s not correct: He said, and Woodfin confirmed, that he in fact donated to No Gerrymandering Virginia. Large finance reports totaling $10,000 or more are due within three days of the donation, but other campaign finance reports won’t be available till April.

“I did not give money to that PAC,” Fralin said. “I do not support it, and I don’t want people being misled for or against this referendum. I want people to make an informed decision. That ad that I saw was misleading, and I disavow it.”

Cordoza lost his House 86 seat to Democrat Virgil Thornton last year as Democrats swept races in the House of Delegates.

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