On Jan. 21, Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Day, Republicans in the state Senate used the absence of Democratic state Sen. Harry Marsh to rush through a redistricting bill. If this naked grab for power is signed by Gov. McDonnell, it would give Republicans long-term, if not permanent, control of that legislative body. It would likely change the current Democrat-Republican 20-20 split in the Senate to a Republican majority of as much as 24-16.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the state legislature want to change the method of redistributing Virginia's Electoral College votes. Under this plan, electors would be distributed based on results by congressional district, with the two electors allocated for U.S. senators going to the candidate who carried the most congressional districts.

If this plan had been adopted before the 2012 election, Romney would have received nine of Virginia's 13 Electoral College votes even though President Obama carried the state 51 percent to 47 percent. If this plan had been adopted by all states that voted for the president, but currently have Republican majorities in their legislatures and Republican governors, Romney would have been elected president despite losing the popular vote by nearly 5 million votes.

Republicans talk a lot about tyranny and upholding the Constitution, yet they are making a raw grab for power while circumventing the will of the majority of citizens. It is time for We the People to tell our legislators and governor that we will not stand for the use of legislative sleight of hand to steal elections.

Joe Farro

Stafford