STATENEWS

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 PoliticsCalifornia, lawindepth, mid-decade redistricting, STATENEWS

ACLU and League of Women Voters Take South Carolina’s Partisan Gerrymandering Fight to State Supreme Court

By EditorJun 23, 2025

This Tuesday, June 24, 2025, the South Carolina Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in League of Women Voters of South Carolina v. Alexander, a landmark case brought by the ACLU, ACLU-SC, and League of Women Voters. Filed in July 2024, the lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the state’s 2022 congressional map, which plaintiffs argue was drawn with the express aim of strengthening the Republican majority in the First Congressional District. They contend this map intentionally shifts Democratic-leaning populations, particularly Black voters, out of the district, violating Article 1, Section 5 of the South Carolina Constitution, which guarantees "free and open" elections…

Partisan Gerrymandering, South CarolinaACLU, LWV, South Carolina, STATENEWS

Reform Group Urges West Virginia to End Prison Gerrymandering Before 2030 Census

By EditorJun 23, 2025

The reform group Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) has reignited calls for West Virginia to address prison gerrymandering, a redistricting practice that counts incarcerated people as residents of prison locations rather than their home communities. This approach, used during the last redistricting cycle, disproportionately skews representation in districts that house correctional facilities. According to the PPI, some legislative districts in the state have prison populations making up as much as 18% of their total count, meaning those districts have significantly fewer actual residents with voting power compared to others. Reform advocates argue that this violates the foundational democratic principle of equal…

Redistricting Prisoners, West Virginiapolicyindepth, prisoner reallocation, prisoners, STATENEWS, West Virginia

From Polk to Johnson: Iowa’s Quiet Redistricting Revolution at the County Level

By EditorMar 01, 2025

Iowa’s 2020-cycle state maps drew the headlines, but the past four years have also reshaped local power centers across the state. Polk County, home to Des Moines and more than half a million residents, used the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) for the first time to redraw its five Board of Supervisors districts. Draft lines released in February 2022 paired two long-time incumbents and, according to one UVA analysis, created two genuine toss-up seats, raising the prospect of the county’s first GOP majority in decades. Public hearings that spring highlighted concern over Des Moines high-school clusters and partisan balance, but supervisors…

Iowa, Local RedistrictingIowa, STATENEWS

Arizona Predicted to Gain a U.S. House Seat in 2030

By EditorJan 10, 2025

Arizona’s rapid growth means it is “likely to pick up a 10th seat in Congress” after the 2030 census, pushing its electoral-vote total from 11 to 12, according to new projections by Election Data Services, which cite a July 1 population estimate of 7.6 million and a forecast of 8.2 million residents by decade’s end. Because House seats are fixed at 435, the gain would come at other states’ expense: Oregon, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, and especially California are all expected to lose seats, while Idaho would also add one; Texas and Florida are projected to pick up two each,…

Arizona, Census LawArizona, reapportionment, STATENEWS

Redistricting Update. Week of February 11, 2024: News from FL, NY, NC, WA, and WI.

By EditorFeb 19, 2024

Redistricting developments in the states for the week of February 11, 2024. Click on the state button for more news and media. Florida Florida officials, legislators fight speeding up redistricting case New York New House lines approved in New York. What would change. North Carolina Redistricting plaintiffs oppose consolidation of two federal cases Washington What we can learn from Washington’s independent redistricting commission Wisconsin Wisconsin Legislature passes Democratic governor’s redistricting maps Find us on: This is some text Hey look. More text! Find us on:

Weekly Redistricting UpdateFlorida, new york, News, North Carolina, STATENEWS, Washington, weekly update, Wisconsin

Redistricting Update. Week of January 28, 2024: News from FL, LA, MI, MO, NC, and WI.

By EditorFeb 01, 2024

Redistricting developments in the states for the week of January 28, 2024. Click on the state button for more news and media. NationalRedistricting fights in these states could determine which party controls the US House (CNN) Florida Florida Supreme Court will consider challenge to DeSantis’ redistricting map Louisiana After a court fight, Louisiana's new congressional map boosts Black political power Louisiana lawmakers approve a new congressional map with a second majority-Black district Michigan Justices decline to intervene in Michigan redistricting dispute (scotusblog) Montana Montana officials discuss map redistricting North Carolina Judge denies injunction request in state Senate redistricting lawsuit Wisconsin…

NEWS, RedistrictingFlorida, louisiana, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, STATENEWS, weekly update, Wisconsin

Redistricting Update. Week of January 21, 2024: News from FL, LA, MI, WA, and WI.

By EditorJan 22, 2024

Redistricting developments in the states for the week of January 21, 2024. Click on the state button for more news and media. NationalWhich states could get new congressional maps in 2024? (abcnews) The Failed Promise of Independent Election Mapmaking (ProPublica) Florida ACLU sues Daytona Beach, saying redistricting was driven by protecting incumbents Louisiana Louisiana lawmakers approve a new congressional map with a second majority-Black district Louisiana Legislature Passes Congressional Map With Two Majority-Black Districts Michigan Michigan’s Secretary of State asks Supreme Court to pause redistricting for 2024 Redistricting commission begins redrawing Detroit-area state House maps Washington Five new maps proposed…

NEWS, RedistrictingFlorida, louisiana, Michigan, STATENEWS, Washington, weekly update, Wisconsin

Georgia Redistricting Update (Jan. 10, 2024)

By EditorJan 10, 2024

On October 26, 2023, a U.S. District Court ordered Georgia's legislative and congressional districts to be redrawn before the 2024 election. The legislature had passed those maps in 2021 following the 2020 census. The litigation includes three sets of plaintiffs and the court ultimately found that the legislature's maps violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Among other findings, the court noted convincing evidence that the political process in Georgia was not equally accessible to Black voters when compared to their White counterparts. This being the case, the prophylactic measures prescribed in Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act were necessary…

Case Updates, HOME, LATEST, LAW, Race in Redistricting, Redistricting, Redistricting Litigation, Redistricting Race Rules, Voting Rights ActGeorgia, STATENEWS

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:

Enacting a Redistricting Map, Ohioenacting, IN-DEPTH, Ohio, Policy In-Depth, policyindepth, STATENEWS, VIDEO