Redistricting

• De goed gouvernants-groep Common Cause heeft haar agressieve pleidooi voor herindeling gematigd, nadat zij eerder controverse opriep door Californiës gouverneur Gavin Newsom op dit punt gelijk te stellen aan de Republikeinen uit Texas. • De organisatie kreeg kritiek op deze vergelijking, die volgens critici feitelijk misleidend was en haar geloofwaardigheid als onpartijdige hervormingspleitbezorger schaadde. • De verschuiving van Common Cause weerspiegelt een groeiend debat binnen de progressieve gemeenschap over de vraag of nationale normen voor herindeling uniform moeten worden toegepast of rekening moeten houden met staatsspecifieke contexten.

• Republikeinen streven agressief naar extra zetels in het Huis van Afgevaardigden via herindelingsinspanningen, maar de strategie zou flink kunnen averechts werken. • De push riskeert Democraten te mobiliseren en belangrijke nieuwe kiezers te vervreemden, wat potentieel kan leiden tot nettoverliezen in plaats van winst. • Dit is van belang te midden van de tussentijdse verkiezingen, aangezien het de controle van de GOP over het Huis kan ondermijnen, ondanks gunstige kaarten in sommige staten.

• Democratisch kamerlid Ted Lieu omschreef de beslissing van het Hooggerechtshof van Virginia om een staatsreferendum over de herindeling van congreskieskringen te vernietigen als niet alleen fout, maar schandelijk. • De uitspraak verwierp een door kiezers goedgekeurde kaart die de Republikeinen met één zetel zou hebben bevoordeeld bij de tussentijdse verkiezingen, waardoor de huidige voorsprong van de Democraten (6-5) behouden blijft. • De Democraten gaan in beroep bij het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof terwijl ze verdere juridische stappen voorbereiden, waaronder een verzoek om de invoering van nieuwe kaarten uit te stellen.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that voting districts can no longer be drawn along racial lines under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, shifting focus to partisan considerations. • Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, the Act originally aimed to dismantle barriers for Black voters, but the decision now permits states to redraw maps based on political affiliations. • The ruling has triggered a rapid effort in several states to reconfigure electoral districts, potentially reshaping congressional representation ahead of future elections.

• Republicans have secured an edge in national redistricting battles following U.S. Supreme Court ruling on April 29 striking down a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana and Virginia Supreme Court invalidating a voter-approved Democratic map. • The Louisiana decision prompted Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to postpone the May 16 congressional primary, allowing lawmakers to revise House districts and eliminate minority-protected seats under weakened Voting Rights Act provisions. • Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed revised U.S. House districts on May 4, boosting GOP chances to win four additional seats, while Republicans eye up to 14 net gains across Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee.

• Senator Lisa Murkowski is leading a bipartisan effort in the Senate to establish an independent redistricting commission at the federal level, aiming to reduce partisan gerrymandering in congressional elections. • The proposed legislation would require states to use independent commissions rather than partisan legislatures to draw House districts, with a focus on increasing competitive races and voter representation. • Advocates say the bill could reshape political power in closely divided states, while opponents warn it could infringe on state authority over elections.

• A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey released May 8, 2026, found that strong majorities in both parties prefer an independent panel draw House district lines. • The polling data suggests voters across the political spectrum have grown frustrated with partisan gerrymandering and support reform measures limiting partisan advantage in redistricting. • The bipartisan sentiment contrasts with ongoing state-level redistricting battles where Republican and Democratic parties continue fighting over congressional boundaries.

• Tennessee's governor signed a new congressional redistricting map into law on May 7, 2026, that eliminates a Democratic House seat, according to PBS NewsHour reporting. • The redistricting decision reduces Democratic representation in the state's delegation and reflects ongoing partisan conflicts over congressional boundaries across multiple states. • Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) reacted to the Tennessee map and New York's own redistricting initiative, highlighting how redistricting battles continue to reshape electoral landscapes nationwide.

• Southern Republicans are pressing forward with election-year House redistricting efforts, including an aggressive gerrymander in Tennessee demanded by Trump. • The moves come amid widespread protests and legal challenges, with PBS reporting on resistance in multiple states. • These changes could reshape congressional seats ahead of the 2026 midterms, potentially benefiting GOP majorities.

• Trump-endorsed candidates defeated most Indiana Republicans who opposed gerrymandering efforts in state Senate primaries reported on May 6, 2026. • The victories largely upend the Indiana state Senate, aligning it more closely with Trump's redistricting priorities. • This purge signals Trump's strong influence over GOP state-level politics amid 2026 midterm preparations.

Lawmakers to convene for special session to redraw state supreme court districts at building with racist historyWhen Mississippi lawmakers met in 1861 and voted to secede from the union in an effort to continue enslaving people, they did so in what is now known as the Old Capitol Museum. From 1839 to 1903, lawmakers met at a building that witnessed some of the state’s most racist history.And now, on 20 May, when members of Mississippi’s house convene for a special session to redraw state supreme court districts, they will do so at the Old Capitol, ostensibly because of renovations in the house chamber. Continue reading...

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed new congressional maps set to strip Democrats of additional House seats ahead of 2026 midterms. • In contrast, Virginia voters narrowly approved a Democratic-backed redistricting plan threatening Republican incumbents. • The coast-to-coast battles reflect volatile gerrymandering disputes shaping midterm battlegrounds.

• A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey reveals that strong majorities in both Republican and Democratic parties support independent panels drawing House district lines. • The bipartisan finding suggests public appetite for reform of the politically charged redistricting process. • The survey highlights voter frustration with gerrymandering and calls for institutional change to ensure fair representation.

• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed new congressional district maps designed to strip Democrats of additional House seats in the state. • The redistricting effort is part of a broader coast-to-coast battle over legislative boundaries ahead of the 2026 midterms, with competing proposals from both parties. • In Virginia, voters narrowly backed a Democratic remap that threatens several Republican incumbents, demonstrating the high stakes of redistricting.

• A new POLITICO‑Citrin Center‑Possibility Lab survey released Friday shows that strong majorities of both Republicans and Democrats favor an independent commission to draw U.S. House district lines, weakening arguments against ending partisan gerrymandering. • The Trump administration is weighing proposals to codify independent redistricting panels by tying federal funds to states that adopt such commissions, a strategy that could reshape battleground districts in 2026 and beyond. • Civil‑rights groups and voting advocates cheered the poll findings, arguing that independent commissions would reduce partisan manipulation of maps that currently skew toward both parties.

• Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced plans on April 29, 2026, to suspend House primaries after a court ruling on congressional maps intensified redistricting fights. • The decision stems from ongoing battles over racial gerrymandering, with dozens more cases looming before midterms. • Suspension could delay elections and reshape GOP strategies in the state.

• Virginia voters narrowly approved a Democratic-backed congressional redistricting plan that endangers several Republican incumbents. • The measure redraws lines to favor Democrats in key districts, shifting the balance for 2026 midterm races. • This coastal redistricting battle highlights national tensions over fair maps and partisan advantage.

Special session comes after Virginia voted to redraw maps and as Trump pressures Republicans to protect House majorityFlorida begins a special session on Tuesday in what may be the last front of the redistricting war before the 2026 election, with Republicans trying to redraw maps to pick up more seats in Congress.Lawmakers enter the session in Tallahassee cloaked in mystery, with no preview of a proposed map to consider and no clear path for Republicans to increase their representation in what appears to be a hostile year for their party. Continue reading...

• House Republicans openly questioned President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting strategy on Wednesday, following a Democratic victory in Virginia on Tuesday that threatens the GOP's slim House majority. • The Virginia vote paves the way for as many as four Republican seats to be lost, intensifying GOP concerns about the redistricting war Trump sparked. • Republican lawmakers are now expressing misgivings about the strategy, signaling potential fractures within the party over Trump's aggressive electoral positioning ahead of the November midterms.

Democrats within reach of House majority after voters rebel against Republican gerrymanderingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMonths into his second term, Donald Trump wagered that he could beat the historic trend of the party in power losing seats in midterm elections if Republican-led states redrew congressional maps to sweep Democrats out of office.The gamble is looking to be a bust, or at best a draw, for the president, after Democrats fought back with their own redistricting efforts, the latest of which came to fruition in Virginia on Tuesday, when voters approved a plan that could remove all but one of the five Republicans in its current House of Representatives delegation. Continue reading...

• The latest POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey reveals strong majorities in both parties favor an independent panel for drawing House district lines. • Over 70% of Democrats and Republicans support the nonpartisan approach to prevent gerrymandering ahead of midterms. • This consensus could pressure Congress to reform redistricting processes and reduce partisan map battles.

Purple state which recently elected a Democratic governor will now choose whether to replace existing voting maps with ones that favor DemocratsNearly three months to the day after his term as Virginia’s governor ended, Republican Glenn Youngkin stood in an unshaded corner of an office parking lot to warn dozens of conservative activists that they were in the midst of “the most important election” in the commonwealth’s 237-year history.The question before the voters casting ballots at an early voting precinct a few yards away in the city of Leesburg ahead of Tuesday’s special election was whether to temporarily set aside Virginia’s congressional maps intended to advantage neither party and replace them with a new version that could allow Democrats to win all but one seat in the 11-member delegation in the November midterm elections. Continue reading...