In an unprecedented wave of mid-decade redistricting, several states have redrawn or are attempting to redraw their congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections, marking one of the largest coordinated efforts to alter voting maps between censuses in modern American history.
The push began in July when Texas lawmakers passed new maps targeting five Democratic-held seats to potentially give Republicans up to 30 of the state’s 38 House seats. Then, President Donald Trump personally urged Republican leaders in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and New Hampshire to pursue similar efforts.
In late November, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a lower court ruling that called Texas’s efforts racial gerrymandering. After that, Missouri and North Carolina swiftly followed Texas’s lead to enact new maps to eliminate Democratic representation in those states.
Though California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50 on November 4, which would add an additional five Democratic seats to that state’s congressional delegation and temporarily suspend the state’s independent redistricting commission, other Democratic states have not made similar moves. Virginia lawmakers took the first step toward a constitutional amendment that would allow mid-decade redistricting, which would need another vote in January to pass before going to voters for consideration. Though Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the formation of a redistricting advisory commission, the state's Democratic delegation remains divided over whether to pursue it.
Ultimately, Democrats face structural disadvantages as they control fewer state legislatures, and Democratic-majority states are more likely to have independent commissions or constitutional restrictions that complicate redistricting efforts. In New York, legal constraints will likely doom any attempt to redistrict.
Control of the narrowly divided House of Representatives could hinge on redrawn maps, with many implications for voters of both parties. The party in power typically faces a loss of representatives mid-presidential term. The open question is whether any of these redistricting efforts will prevail in time to impact the 2026 election.
