Redistricting
2026 Midterms
Redistricting Chaos
Trump started it in Texas. Democrats hit back in California. Now at least ten states are redrawing lines, courts are split, and the Voting Rights Act may be on the chopping block. The complete map-war guide.
Election Tracker · March 28, 2026
Mid-decade redistricting used to be a relic of the 19th century. In the entire 20th century, only a handful of states voluntarily redrew their congressional maps between census cycles. Then Donald Trump asked Texas to do it — and the dam broke.
As of March 2026, six states have enacted entirely new congressional maps that will be used in the November elections: Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Utah. Three more — Virginia, Florida, and Maryland — are in various stages of pursuing new maps. Lawsuits are pending or resolved in nearly all of them. The Supreme Court is simultaneously considering a case that could weaken the Voting Rights Act, which would open the door to even more aggressive map-drawing targeting minority-represented districts.
The net result so far is a wash — or close to it. Republicans drew maps to gain seats in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina. Democrats retaliated in California. Courts ordered new maps in Ohio and Utah. But the real impact won't be clear until the legal dust settles.
The Scoreboard (Estimated Seat Shifts)
These numbers are estimates based on partisan lean shifts in redrawn districts. Actual outcomes depend on candidates, turnout, and the national environment. Some maps face ongoing legal challenges that could change the lines again before November.
States with New Maps
The domino that started it all. President Trump urged Governor Greg Abbott to call a special session to redraw congressional maps. After a dramatic two-week Democratic walkout, the legislature passed new maps creating five additional Republican-leaning districts in August 2025. A federal court in El Paso ruled the maps an illegal racial gerrymander in November 2025, but the Supreme Court issued a stay allowing the maps to be used while the case continues. Six of the nine House members targeted by the new maps are Black or Latino.
Map in use — litigation ongoing at Supreme Court
Democrats' direct counter to Texas. The state legislature drafted Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment creating a new congressional map that would flip five Republican-held seats. Voters approved it in a special election. The California Republican Party and the U.S. Department of Justice challenged the map as a racial gerrymander favoring Latino voters. A three-judge federal panel rejected the claim, finding it was partisan — not racial — gerrymandering. The Supreme Court denied the appeal in February 2026 without comment, clearing the map for use.
✓ Map cleared by Supreme Court — in use for 2026
Governor Mike Kehoe called a special session in August 2025 to redraw maps, targeting Kansas City Democrat Emanuel Cleaver's solidly Democratic 5th district by making it far more Republican. The map was signed into law September 28, 2025. It faces lawsuits, and a citizens' initiative ballot measure to undo the map may appear on the November ballot.
Map in use — facing legal challenges and potential ballot measure
Republican legislative leaders redrew the state's congressional map to make the 1st congressional district — a majority-Black seat held by Democrat Don Davis — significantly more Republican. The new map is in use for the March 3 primaries (already completed). Legal challenges are ongoing.
✓ Map in use — primaries completed March 3
Ohio was required by law to redraw its maps before 2026 due to a constitutional amendment that gave shorter expiration dates to maps passed without bipartisan support. After the legislature missed its September 2025 deadline, the Ohio Redistricting Commission voted unanimously to approve a new bipartisan map on October 31, 2025. The new map is expected to create more competitive districts.
✓ Bipartisan map enacted — in use for May 5 primary
A court-ordered redistricting following a partisan gerrymandering lawsuit. The new map creates a safe Democratic district comprising the majority of Salt Lake County. Republicans in Utah are eyeing a ballot measure that could allow them to undo the court-ordered map in future elections.
✓ Court-ordered map — in use for 2026
States Still in Play
Democrats are pursuing a constitutional amendment to allow mid-decade redistricting, which would let the legislature draw a new map targeting four of the state's five Republican House members. After legal battles, the state Supreme Court cleared a special election for April 21, 2026. If voters approve the amendment, the legislature could adopt new maps before November. This is the highest-stakes redistricting fight still unresolved.
Special election April 21, 2026 — pending voter approval
Governor DeSantis has called for a special legislative session to take up redistricting, and the Florida House has created a special redistricting committee. However, Florida has constitutional provisions against partisan gerrymandering (the "Fair Districts" amendments). DeSantis and legislative Republicans are watching the Supreme Court's pending decision on the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais — a ruling weakening the VRA could allow them to target majority-minority districts.
Special session expected — outcome uncertain
All three states have congressional maps subject to ongoing litigation. Georgia and Louisiana face Voting Rights Act challenges to their current maps. New York's Democratic-drawn map survived a Republican challenge after the Supreme Court blocked a state court order requiring new maps. Louisiana has pushed back its election calendar in anticipation of a Supreme Court ruling that could affect its map.
Maps in use — subject to court orders
The Voting Rights Act Wildcard
Hovering over all of this is Louisiana v. Callais, a case the Supreme Court is expected to decide before its term ends in late June. The case directly challenges Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which has been used for decades to require the creation of majority-minority districts. If the Court weakens the VRA, it would effectively greenlight more aggressive redistricting in Southern states with large minority populations — potentially allowing Republicans to target Democratic seats held by Black and Latino representatives in Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, and elsewhere.
The timing is critical. If the ruling comes by June and weakens the VRA, states like Florida and Louisiana could redraw maps before the August primaries. If it comes later — or if the Court upholds Section 2 — the redistricting map for 2026 is likely set.
What It All Means
The 2025-2026 redistricting wars have shattered a century-old norm. Mid-decade redistricting was so rare in the modern era that only one state (Texas, in 2003) had done it voluntarily since the 1960s. Now it's happening in at least ten states simultaneously, driven by a House majority so narrow that a handful of redrawn districts could determine which party controls the chamber.
The net effect is still being litigated — literally. But the precedent is set. Future presidents of both parties will now have a template for using redistricting as a political weapon between censuses. Whether that's a crisis for democracy or just hardball politics depends on your perspective. Either way, the maps that voters use on November 3 may look nothing like the ones they used in 2024.