Enacting a Redistricting Map

Louisiana Enacts New Congressional Map Into Law, Eliminating One Majority-Black District

By EditorMay 29, 20260 Comments

Louisiana legislators gave their final approval Friday to Senate Bill 121, a congressional redistricting map that eliminates one of the state's two majority-Black districts and gives Republicans a probable additional U.S. House seat ahead of the November midterms. The state Senate approved the final version 28-10 on party lines after the House had passed it 66-36 the day prior. The new map redraws Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields' 6th District, clustering it around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana, while adding part of Baton Rouge to the majority-Black 2nd District based in New Orleans, currently represented…

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Virginia’s Redistricting Ordeal: A Brief Summary

By EditorMay 26, 20260 Comments

Virginia's Post-2020 Redistricting: From Commission to Courtroom When Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment in November 2020 establishing a bipartisan redistricting commission, it was widely seen as a model reform, a deliberate step away from partisan map-drawing toward a process governed by eight lawmakers and eight citizens working together. That promise quickly ran into reality: the commission deadlocked along partisan lines and missed its November 2021 deadline without producing a congressional map. The Virginia Supreme Court stepped in, appointed two special masters, one drawn from each party's nominees, and approved the resulting congressional map on December 28, 2021. That court-drawn…

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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…

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A Brief History of Mid-Decade Redistricting in Texas

By EditorAug 06, 2025

A Brief History of Mid-Decade Redistricting in Texas Texas’s current mid-decade congressional redistricting effort has historical precedent. In 2003, Texas legislators undertook a similar mid-cycle redistricting that reshaped the state’s political landscape. Republicans, who had won control of both legislative chambers in the 2002 elections, launched an effort to replace the court-drawn congressional map from 2001. The legislature’s 2003 map significantly shifted the partisan composition of the Texas delegation, ultimately leading to a net gain of several Republican seats in Congress. The 2003 process drew national attention when Democratic legislators dramatically fled the state in protest, attempting to deny the…

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Texas Redistricting Update: July 2025

By EditorJul 29, 2025

Governor Greg Abbott convened a 30-day special legislative session on July 21, instructing lawmakers to redraw the state’s 38 U.S. House districts. The call follows a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stating that four districts anchored in Houston and Fort Worth were "coalition districts," and may have been drawn “along strict racial lines,” (a.k.a racial gerrymanders), potentially violating the 14th Amendment. Lawmakers now have until roughly mid-August to craft new boundaries that satisfy equal-population and federal law requirements. Ongoing litigation over the 2021 mapsWhile legislators work on new boundaries, a three-judge federal panel in El Paso is…

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Review: Local Election Official’s Guide to Redistricting

By EditorJun 29, 2025

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission's (EAC) Local Election Officials’ Guide to Redistricting serves as a practical roadmap for local jurisdictions drawing new district boundaries after each decennial census. Aimed squarely at election administrators, who may lack dedicated redistricting staff, the guide walks readers step by step through the legal requirements, data management needs, public‐engagement obligations, map‐drawing techniques, and the implementation tasks needed to complete a redistricting map. At the heart of the guide is a discussion of the legal framework governing redistricting. It reiterates constitutional mandates for equal representation (“one person, one vote”) and underscores compliance with both Section 2…

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Baltimore County’s Proposed Council Map Adds Two Members but There’s No Agreement on Map Yet

By EditorJun 28, 2025

The Baltimore County Redistricting Commission’s final redistricting map proposal reshapes the council into nine districts, up from seven, following voter approval of a charter amendment. The proposed map includes two majority-Black districts, two majority-BIPOC districts, and five majority-White districts. Council member Izzy Patoka emphasized that the expansion offers more opportunities for women and people of color, but acknowledged the map still needs five of the current council’s seven votes to pass, meaning bipartisan support will be essential. The plan faces resistance from Republican council members such as David Marks, who criticized the map for having a “partisan objective” and splitting communities like…

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Watch: Former Chief Senate Legal Counsel Discusses the Status of Ohio’s Redistricting Map Saga on “The State of Ohio” Program

By EditorSep 01, 2023

Last Friday, The State of Ohio weekly news program discussed gerrymandering reform and the status of redistricting maps in the State with Frank Strigari, former Chief Legal Counsel for the Ohio Senate. The discussion starts at 6:44. Find us on:

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A Flurry of Redistricting Activity Happened Over the Holidays. Here is a Recap

By EditorJan 03, 2022

An incredible amount of redistricting activity occurred over the holidays in over 10 states. It's safe to say you missed most of it. Here is your post-holiday update. Map Adoptions 5 states adopted/enacted redistricting maps just before or after the Christmas holiday. This includes 3 independent citizens commissions, 1 state supreme court, and 1 enactment via a governor's signature. Arizona The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission adopted final congressional and state legislative maps on Dec. 22. The 5 member body voted unanimously for the congressional district map and approved the state legislative map on a 3-2 vote. Click here for interactive maps and media coverage,…

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New Jersey Redistricting Commission Adopts Congressional Map

By EditorDec 24, 2021

On Dec. 22, the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission adopted a new congressional map. The map passed on a 7-6 vote which included all of the Democratic members and the tiebreaker chairman (selected by the state Supreme Court) of the commission. View the map below. Visit the New Jersey page for more info. New Jersey 2021 Congressional Districts News Coverage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAbn53Ci6Ao New Jersey has approved a new congressional map drawn by Democrats (Philadelphia Inquirer) New congressional map for New Jersey keeps status quo in Hudson County (Hudsonreporter.com)

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