The Battle Over Voting Maps

Now that the 2024 and local 2025 elections are done, the political attention begins to shift to the 2026 midterm elections. Voters have the chance to elect new Congressional representatives. Often, the president’s party tends to lose Congressional seats during the midterm. Currently, Republicans hold just a narrow three-seat majority in the House of Representatives. So, Democrats hope to win at least four more seats in the midterm elections to take control of the House.  

Both political parties are always trying to gain as many seats as they can. Frequently this results in the controlling party redrawing district voting maps within states to give one party an advantage over the other. (Traditionally, voting maps are only updated once every ten years, following the census. The most recent voting maps were drawn in 2020.)  

In November 2024, California voted to redraw its maps in a way that would potentially create five new seats for Democrats. President Trump has urged Republican states to redraw their maps to create new Republican-held seats as well. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at this ongoing race for control of the House.  

Texas 

In response to President Trump’s request, Texas recently redrew its voting maps to potentially flip five Democratic-held House seats to Republicans. But a federal court blocked Texas from using these new maps. The court ruled that Texas drew the maps in a way that was unconstitutionally based on race. The new map structure removed previous non-white-majority districts. (Currently, only 40 percent of Texas voters are white, but white voters control over 73 percent of the state’s congressional seats.)  

The federal judge ordered Texas to keep using the maps it drew after the most recent census in 2020. The state of Texas then appealed to the Supreme Court. Justice Samuel Alito blocked the federal court’s ruling. This keeps the new maps in place for the time being, while the Supreme Court considers the case.  

Indiana 

In Indiana, the battle over voting maps has gotten personal. Indiana is a majority Republican state. The Indiana state congress has faced pressure from the president to redraw its voting district borders to eliminate one or both of the state’s Democratic-held House seats. But last week, the state Senate voted to adjourn until January 2026–ignoring the request to hold a special session to redraw the maps.  

Since then, at least eight Republican state senators and Governor Mike Braun have been the target of public intimidation by individuals who are disappointed in the Republican’s lack of action.In response, Democratic and Republican leaders in Indiana have come together and issued a bipartisan statement denouncing the violence and intimidation.  

The Battle in the Courts 

Other states have passed new maps as well. California and Utah have redrawn maps to favor Democrats. Texas, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri have redrawn theirs to favor Republicans. Virginia, a “blue” state, has approved a constitutional amendment that would allow their districts to be redrawn to yield up to three new Democratic seats. Other redistricting efforts are underway in New York, Wisconsin, and Louisiana.  

Meanwhile, the battle over voting maps continues to play out in the courts. The Justice Department has sued officials in California over the new maps, and the case will likely be heard in court next month.  

What Do You Think? In your opinion, is it fair for states to redraw their voting maps mid-decade to favor one political party over the other? Explain.