Trump claims Virginia redistricting election was 'rigged'

US President Donald Trump has claimed without evidence that cheating took place in an election in Virginia that could help Democrats win control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections this year.

Virginians on Tuesday voted to redraw the state's congressional map, which could help Democrats win four House seats currently held by Republicans.

The state is the latest in a national redistricting arms race that began after Trump urged conservative states to re-examine voting maps to help Republicans keep their congressional majority.

"A RIGGED ELECTION TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT," Trump posted on social media, echoing false claims he has made about the 2020 presidential race.

"All day long Republicans were winning, the Spirit was unbelievable, until the very end when, of course, there was a massive 'Mail In Ballot Drop!'"

US investigators have never unearthed any evidence of widespread voter fraud, including in the mail-in ballot system.

The midterms, which will decide who controls Congress, take place in November.

Each of these newly drawn districts could have a role in deciding which political party takes the House, or lower chamber of Congress.

On Wednesday evening, a Virginia judge paused the state from certifying the results of the referendum, deeming it and the bill that triggered it unconstitutional, following a lawsuit from the Republican National Committee.

The state has said it will appeal.

The balance of power in the House now stands at 217 Republicans, 212 Democrats and one independent, who caucuses with Republicans. The latest margins come after the death of a Democrat in Georgia was announced on Wednesday.

Historically, the party of the sitting president tends to lose House seats during the midterms. If Democrats win the House in this November's contest race, it will not only serve a blow to Trump's political agenda, but it could open him up to Democratic-led congressional investigations.

In the US, gerrymandering - the redrawing of electoral boundaries to favour a political party - is only illegal if it is based on race.

Trump, a Republican, had previously predicted that if Democrats win in Virginia, "it's going to be a disaster."

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, said in a statement on X that voters "pushed back against a President who claims he is 'entitled' to more Republican seats in Congress.

"As we watched other states go along with those demands without voter input, Virginians refused to let that stand. We responded the right way: at the ballot box."

Trump's post comes as he continues to push lawmakers in Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would overhaul US voting rules by requiring proof of US citizenship to vote.

He is also being sued by Democratic-led states over an executive order to restrict mail-in voting.

Trump has long promoted claims without evidence of widespread voter fraud through mail-in voting.

He said he recently voted by mail in Florida because he is the US president. His son and wife have also voted by mail in recent elections.

States usually redraw their voting maps once every decade after new population data is released as part of the US Census.

Texas became the first state to launch a mid-decade change amid pressure from Trump, setting off a race for other states to alter their maps to help their respective political parties.

California voters approved their new maps in a special referendum in November, giving Democrats an edge in five new districts.

Other Republican-led states have changed their maps, too. North Carolina and Missouri also passed new maps that give the party an edge.

Utah has also passed a new map with court-imposed districts that could give Democrats an advantage in one district.