Utah Legislators Review 5 Congressional Map Proposals

Utah Legislators Review 5 Congressional Map Proposals

By EditorSep 23, 2025
Utah lawmakers have released five options for new congressional boundaries and are moving forward with a court-ordered overhaul of the state’s four U.S. House seats. This follows a recent ruling by Judge Dianna Gibson that the Legislature had improperly disregarded the redistricting standards established by Proposition 4 in 2018. Since the maps used since the 2022 election are now prohibited from being used in the 2026 election, the Legislative Redistricting Committee is scheduled to meet to discuss the five proposals. The legislature must adopt a draft map by September 25, which will then undergo a 10-day public comment period and…
Enacting a Redistricting Map, Utah, ,
Read More
Missouri Legislature Adopts New Congressional Map and Initiative Petition Reforms Amid Legal Challenges and Referendum Push

Missouri Legislature Adopts New Congressional Map and Initiative Petition Reforms Amid Legal Challenges and Referendum Push

By EditorSep 14, 2025
The Missouri Senate recently concluded a special session by passing a new congressional map and a proposal aimed at restricting the initiative petition process. The redistricting plan, approved by a 21-11 vote, seeks to convert U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's Kansas City-based 5th District into a Republican-leaning seat, marking a significant reversal from past legislative sessions. This push for new district lines was notably influenced by President Donald Trump, who reportedly pressured GOP-led states like Missouri to enact new maps before the 2026 midterm elections. The measure faced strong opposition from Democrats, who questioned the constitutionality of mid-decade redistricting, citing the…
Strategy and Politics, , ,
Read More
Texas Enacts the 1st Mid-Decade Congressional Map Designed to Increase Republican Representation in Congress

Texas Enacts the 1st Mid-Decade Congressional Map Designed to Increase Republican Representation in Congress

By EditorAug 30, 2025
On August 22, the legislature adopted HB 4 in a second special session initially convened on July 21. Governor Greg Abbott signed the mid-decade congressional map on the 29th after an earlier quorum fight stalled action. The House passed the map on August 20 by a vote of 88-52, and the Senate followed on August 23 with an 18-11 vote. The enacted plan is posted by the Texas Legislative Council as "PlanC2333", with statewide PDFs and data available. Find us on:
Texas, ,
Read More
Why the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Matters for Local Redistricting Officials

Why the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) Matters for Local Redistricting Officials

By EditorAug 28, 2025
Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau invites tribal, state, and general-purpose local governments, counties, cities, towns, and minor civil divisions to verify that its legal-boundary file is still accurate. This verification program is the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS). For local officials, keeping your boundaries current is not just cartographic housekeeping. BAS data feeds the American Community Survey, the Population Estimates Program, and the TIGER/Line layers that nearly all redistricting platforms rely on. Accurate boundary lines also protect your jurisdiction’s share of the roughly $2.8 trillion in annual federal funds that are allocated by geography. Who should participate and what’s…
Census Data and Geography, , , ,
Read More
Utah Court Throws Out Congressional Map, Orders Redraw

Utah Court Throws Out Congressional Map, Orders Redraw

By EditorAug 26, 2025
Utah’s redistricting fight reached a turning point on Monday, when Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that lawmakers unconstitutionally repealed the voter‑approved Proposition 4 and ordered the Legislature to enact a remedial congressional map for the 2026 cycle. Proposition 4 passed narrowly by voters in 2018 and was branded “Better Boundaries.” Prop 4 created a seven-member independent redistricting commission and required maps to meet neutral criteria, including equal population, compactness/contiguity, maintaining cities and counties together, respecting communities of interest, and forbidding the drawing of districts to favor or disfavor a party or incumbent unduly. The Legislature could enact or…
Case Updates, State Laws, Utah, , , ,
Read More
Walking the Tightrope: How Courts Balance Minority Vote Dilution Rules and Racial Gerrymandering Limits

Walking the Tightrope: How Courts Balance Minority Vote Dilution Rules and Racial Gerrymandering Limits

By EditorAug 25, 2025
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act versus the 14th Amendment Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) prohibits any redistricting plan that dilutes the voting power of minorities. Since Thornburg v. Gingles (1986), plaintiffs preliminarily meet that standard by proving three conditions: the minority group must be large and compact enough to form a district, it must vote cohesively, and the white majority must usually defeat the minority’s candidate of choice. When those “Gingles preconditions” are satisfied, federal courts often order the state to draw an additional majority-minority district. The Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, however, takes a…
Racial Gerrymandering, Voting Rights Act, ,
Read More
Missouri, New York, and Louisiana Consider Taking Early Steps Toward Possible Mid-Cycle Map Redraws

Missouri, New York, and Louisiana Consider Taking Early Steps Toward Possible Mid-Cycle Map Redraws

By EditorAug 22, 2025
All three states are laying procedural groundwork but face distinct hurdles: executive hesitation and intra-party risk in Missouri, constitutional lead times in New York, and judicial uncertainty in Louisiana. Missouri: Gov. Mike Kehoe is “assessing options” for a special session after former President Donald Trump urged a 7-1 GOP map. No draft lines have been released, but Republican leaders say any plan would likely split Kansas City’s 5th District to unseat Democrat Emanuel Cleaver. New York: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie confirms leaders are “having discussions” after Gov. Kathy Hochul floated a Texas-style response, yet notes any mid-decade map would require…
Strategy and Politics, , , ,
Read More
California High Court Rejects GOP Bid to Halt Mid-Decade Redistricting Measure

California High Court Rejects GOP Bid to Halt Mid-Decade Redistricting Measure

By EditorAug 20, 2025
The California Supreme Court has dismissed a Republican petition that sought to halt Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to place a mid-decade congressional redraw on the November ballot, saying that "petitioners [GOP lawmakers] have failed to meet their burden of establishing a basis for relief at this time under California Constitution article IV, section 8." The unsigned order, issued Aug. 20, leaves in place Democrats’ “gut-and-amend” legislation that would temporarily suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission and let voters decide whether to adopt new maps projected to add up to five Democratic seats, an answer to Texas Republicans’ July remap. The…
California, Strategy and Politics, , ,
Read More
Charting New Boundaries: Key 2025 Redistricting Developments Across California

Charting New Boundaries: Key 2025 Redistricting Developments Across California

By EditorAug 14, 2025
Statewide Spotlight: Newsom Weighs a Counter-map Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed on July 25, 2025, that he is “exploring multiple options” to redraw California’s congressional districts in response to Texas’s mid-cycle GOP remap. Any plan would have to work around the state’s voter-approved Citizens Redistricting Commission, which the governor acknowledged is “a major obstacle” unless voters first amend the constitution in a special election. Central-Valley Litigation and Legislation Stanislaus County: MALDEF filed suit on April 23, 2025, alleging the county’s 2021 supervisor and school-board maps dilute Latino voting power in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Merced County:…
California, State Update,
Read More
Census Bureau Dissolves Three Outside Advisory Panels for 2030 Planning and Redistricting

Census Bureau Dissolves Three Outside Advisory Panels for 2030 Planning and Redistricting

By EditorAug 14, 2025
The U.S. Census Bureau disbanded three advisory committees this past June: the Census Scientific Advisory Committee (CSAC), the 2030 Census Advisory Committee, and the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations. Members of these committees serve without pay (aside from travel reimbursement), a point reflected in CSAC’s charter and Federal Register notices. The 2030 advisory committee itself was created and filled less than a year earlier (23 members named in March 2024), underscoring how abruptly the change arrived. These panels review census design choices, methods, and communications plans during the decennial’s multi-year build-out. Census.gov’s pages describe the committees’…
Census Data and Geography, ,
Read More