What is Redistricting?

Redistricting is the redrawing of congressional district boundaries to match the current census. This process traditionally occurs at the same time as the census is being taken and draws its authority from the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims. This case ruled that federal districts must represent roughly equal portions of a state’s population to uphold “one person, one vote”. For example, a state with 10 representatives has to apportion 1/10th of the state’s population into each contiguous district. In addition, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prevents the creation of districts which discriminate on the basis of race. This law has supported the implementation of “majority-minority” districts across much of the South and Southwest. Besides these federal regulations, states are free to redistrict using whichever method they please.

What is Gerrymandering?

Gerrymandering refers to the alteration of state district borders to benefit partisan political agendas. State governments can often redistrict to benefit their own party because redistricting for both state and federal representatives is controlled by states.

Gerrymandering affects election results through two main strategies: packing and cracking. Packing concentrates opposition voters into a few districts, reducing their influence elsewhere. Cracking divides opposition voters across multiple districts to dilute their voting power. As a result of both strategies, most districts are solidly Democratic or Republican with very few competitive districts remaining.

The Fight for 2026

President Trump’s call to preserve congressional Republican majorities through the 2026 midterms with redistricting has lent the practice renewed political importance. This marks a stark departure from previous redistricting pushes because redistricting is only supposed to happen once a decade. Previous uses of gerrymandering to maximize safe Republican districts mean that adding more voters could make those districts more competitive than they would have been otherwise, a significant concern for GOP-controlled legislatures in Indiana and Florida. This previously happened during the 2018 midterms, when Republican efforts to remove safe Democratic seats through cracking made the new districts susceptible to a large pro-Democrat swing.

Redistricting Efforts by State

In the wake of President Trump’s announcement, Republicans across several states made efforts to change their party’s district maps. Some changes were more successful than others and–in the case of Texas–led to retaliatory redistricting efforts in Democrat-led states.

Texas

Texas was the first state President Trump called on to implement mid-decade redistricting. Republicans in the state legislature heeded his call and passed new maps in August that would give the GOP five new congressional seats in 2026.

California

In an explicit response to Texas’ redistricting, California passed Prop 50 by ballot referendum in November. This proposal would also give Democrats five new congressional seats in 2026.

Virginia

Virginia, though nominally a swing state, had a strong Democratic showing in the 2025 off-year elections which gave Democrats the governorship and a majority in the state house. In January, house members scheduled a referendum on a proposed redistricting plan which would net the Democrats four house seats. Though this referendum initially passed the General Assembly despite Republican-led efforts to block the legislation, Virginia’s Supreme Court struck it down in May after judges determined that it was unconstitutional.

North Carolina

North Carolina, also a swing state, approved their own redistricted map in October. Unlike in Virginia, Republicans control the North Carolina House and redistricting does not require approval from Democratic governor Josh Stein. The new North Carolina map nets Republicans one house seat.

Florida

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has called a redistricting session for April. It’s unclear how many Republican seats will be gained through redistricting, with an expected gain of two to five seats. Legal challenges are expected, since the Florida constitution bars redistricting for purely partisan reasons. In recent days, Florida Republicans have rebelled against the governor, warning that incumbents may be at risk if redistricting continues.

Indiana

In Indiana, whose legislature has a Republican supermajority, Trump repeatedly called for a gerrymandered map which would gain two Republican seats. The new map could not gain enough Republican support to pass during a redistricting session scheduled by governor Mike Braun. Dissenting Republicans expressed concern about potential blowback, citing the competitiveness of new districts and potential retaliation from Illinois.

Potential Redistricting Reform

The complex fight unfolding over redistricting has motivated a congressional push to regulate mid-decade redistricting and prevent gerrymandering. This effort led to H. R. 5449, the “Redistricting Reform Act of 2025,” Introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Cal, the act would ban mid-decade redistricting and require that every state use a non-partisan board composed of at least one Democrat, one Republican, and one un-affiliated voter to create district borders. Redistricting boards would also be required to have public input and screen for conflicts of interest, though the act doesn’t specify what listing priorities should be used when they draw district boundaries. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and remained there since its introduction in September 2025. Non-partisan boards have been used to discourage gerrymandering in the past, but their effectiveness can be limited depending on states’ political climates. This issue was seen in 2022, when a map created by New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission was replaced by a court-mandated alternative after it was found to have a partisan tilt. The redrawing became a responsibility for the courts because New York’s Democratic supermajority meant that Republican commission members had no incentive to approve a fair map. 

Conclusion

Mid-decade redistricting has become a political flashpoint as President Trump hopes to solidify Republican majorities during the 2026 midterms. Though his call to action has caused two Republican-led states to pass maps giving the party more seats and prompted pro-Democrat redistricting in California, positive responses from Republican politicians are tempered by fears that redistricting will make previously safe districts more contentious than they were before. 

Current redistricting efforts have also prompted a congressional push to regulate redistricting decisions through non-partisan commissions in hopes of reducing gerrymandering. However, New York’s experience with the Independent Redistricting Commission shows that this piece of legislation needs more specific criteria for what a “good” district is.

Frequently Asked Questions