2025–2026 United States redistricting
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Beginning in July 2025, several U.S. states have redrawn or are in the process of redrawing their congressional districts ahead of the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections. These efforts mark one of the largest coordinated attempts to redraw congressional districts between decennial censuses in modern American history.
- July 9, 2025 – present
- (10 months and 1 day)
- In effect: California, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.
- Planned or not yet in effect: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and South Carolina
- Unsuccessfully attempted: Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, Virginia, and Wisconsin
States that have undergone mid-decade redistricting prior to the 2026 elections. Stripes indicate states where redistricting is anticipated but not finalized. Voluntary redistricting enacted Court-ordered/mandatory redistricting Redistricting challenge rejected [citation needed] Voluntary redistricting rejected by legislature | |
| Date |
|
|---|---|
| Location |
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| Cause | Benefiting political parties in the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections, constitutionally or court-mandated redistricting |
The redistricting began when Texas gerrymandered its congressional map to benefit Republicans upon President Donald Trump's request.[1] Republican-led states Missouri and North Carolina soon followed by passing new congressional maps with the aim of gaining more Republican seats. In response, Democratic-led states began the process of gerrymandering their own congressional maps to counter Republican gains. California was the first, passing an amendment to redraw the state's congressional map to benefit Democrats. Virginia followed and also passed an amendment to redraw their districts as well, which was subsequently invalidated by the Virginia Supreme Court. Additionally, Ohio was required to redraw its districts since the previous map did not receive bipartisan support in the state legislature as required by the Ohio Constitution. Likewise, Utah was required to redraw due to the Utah Supreme Court striking down the current map as an unlawful partisan gerrymander.
Following the 2026 Louisiana v. Callais decision, which limited challenges to gerrymandered maps using the Voting Rights Act of 1965, several Southern states began to consider joining the redistricting wave. Florida called a special session for redistricting in anticipation of the ruling and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he would call for a special session as well.[2]
Background
Since the beginning of Donald Trump's second presidency, Trump had wanted to protect the narrow Republican US House majority in the 2026 midterm elections to prevent Democratic gains in the House, which would hamper his administration's ability to carry out its plans.[3] Planning among Trump's advisors began even prior to his inauguration, spearheaded by James Blair in contact with Adam Kincaid, the executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust. Blair presented the idea to Trump in April, and he quickly agreed to it.[4]
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee had also begun preparing for the possibility of Republicans redrawing maps mid-decade after Trump's victory in November 2024, harkening back to the aggressive gerrymandering Republicans performed under REDMAP after the 2010 elections.[4] In June, The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had called on the Republican leadership in the state of Texas to redistrict the state's legislative boundaries in order to draw more Republican leaning districts.[5] The plan elicited concern from some Texas Republicans, who argued that it could hurt incumbent Republicans.[6] As the plan began to take action, reporters asked Trump how many Republican-led states would be redistricted; Trump replied with "four of them".[7]
State redistricting efforts
Overview of passed redistricting
| Date Enacted | State | Partisan Advantage | Ballot Initiative? | Ballot Initiative Results | Blocked by Court? | Enacted by Court? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 29, 2025 | Texas | 5 seats |  | N/a | | |
| September 28, 2025 | Missouri | 1 seat | Pending‡ | Pending‡ | | |
| October 22, 2025 | North Carolina | 1 seat | | N/a | | |
| October 31, 2025[8] | Ohio | 2 seats | | N/a | | |
| November 4, 2025 | California | 5 seats |  | 64.42 - 35.58 | | |
| November 10, 2025 | Utah | 1 seat | | N/a | | |
| April 21, 2026 | Virginia | | 51.61 - 48.39 | † | | |
| May 4th, 2026 | Florida | 4 seats | |
N/a | |
|
| May 7th, 2026 | Tennessee | 1 seat | |
N/a | |
|
† The Virginia Supreme Court denied a motion by Virginia's Attorney General to stay a preliminary injunction that blocked certification of the redistricting referendum.[9] On May 8, the Court struck down the referendum.[10] Democrats are asking the Court to stay its ruling, in anticipation of an appeal.[11]
‡ More than double the number of signatures required to qualify a redistricting referendum for the 2026 ballot in Missouri have been submitted to the Secretary of State’s office, which has until 5 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2026 to certify the signatures. It could be voted on in August or November.[12]
Texas
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On July 9, 2025, Governor Greg Abbott called for a special session of the Texas Legislature to discuss redistricting.[13] The action was expressed as an action after a letter from the United States Department of Justice citing a need to remedy supposedly racially discriminatory districts in the current congressional map.[14] The action received backlash from Democratic leaders including Ken Martin and began talks to discuss a response to the proposed redistricting, including the possibility of Democratic state representatives walking out of the session to delay the process.[15]
The first special session began on July 21. A new map was redrawn in the session as state Democrats vowed to prolong the redistricting effort and walked out of session preventing quorum from being reached in the state house.[16] On August 18, the special session had expired, and state Democrats returned to the state after viewing the prevention of a new map in the first session and the national coverage of the incidents a "victory".[17] A second special session was called on August 18 by Abbott. A proposed congressional map drawing 5 new Republican-leaning districts passed both the state house and senate and was signed on August 29, 2025.[18]
On November 18, 2025, a federal court in El Paso, Texas ruled that the maps consisted an illegal racial gerrymander, and as a result, barred their use in the 2026 midterm elections.[19][20] On November 21, the U.S. Supreme Court approved a request filed by Texas to temporarily block the lower court ruling.[21] On December 4, the Supreme Court stayed the District Court ruling in a 6–3 decision that allows Texas to use the map in 2026, concluding that the District Court had "failed to honor the presumption of legislative good faith by construing ambiguous direct and circumstantial evidence against the legislature" in finding that the map was racially gerrymandered, and had "improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign" because it issued its ruling after the candidate filing period had begun.[22][23] The dissenting opinion, written by Elena Kagan and joined by Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, argued that the majority was not following the appropriate standard of review for questions of fact, stating, "We are a higher court than the District Court, but we are not a better one when it comes to making such a fact-based decision."[24]
California
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Multiple Democratic leaders, including Hakeem Jeffries, began to push California Governor Gavin Newsom to respond to redistricting in Texas by redrawing California's congressional districts; however, the state's use of an Independent Redistricting Commission was the primary obstacle to achieving the goal.[25] To bypass the commission, the state house and state senate passed an amendment putting a referendum on the November ballot to redraw the state's districts. The new congressional map made 5 Republican districts and several competitive districts much more Democratic to offset the gains made by the Texan map.[26]
The measure, titled 2025 California Proposition 50, was approved by voters in the November 2025 election, enacting the proposed redistricting plan.[27] Following the vote, the California Republican Party filed a federal lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary of State Shirley Weber, alleging that the new maps violate the Voting Rights Act by favoring Latino voters and asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent Proposition 50’s maps from going into effect.[28] The U.S. Justice Department joined the California Republican Party's lawsuit.[29] In January 2026, a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Central District of California upheld the use of the map by the state, rejecting the California Republican Party's claims that the map was racially gerrymandered.[30][31]
On February 4, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an application for an appeal of the Central California U.S. District Court panel ruling by the California Republican Party.[32][33] The order was issued without comment or dissent, with legal commentators noting the Court's reasoning in its ruling the previous December on the 2025 Texas redistricting after concluding that it was a partisan rather than racial gerrymander and allowed the map in Texas to stand.[34]
Missouri
On August 29, 2025, Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special session to redraw the state's congressional districts and place Kansas City Democrat Emanuel Cleaver in a much more Republican-leaning district.[35] The Missouri House of Representatives voted to advance the new map that would give Republicans another seat, which was approved in the Missouri Senate, where it also advanced. The new map was signed into law by Kehoe on September 28.[36]
The new map faces lawsuits and a citizens' initiative ballot measure that may suspend the map's implementation for the 2026 elections.[37] In March 2026, opponents of the map said they had gathered enough signatures for the ballot measure to qualify.[38] On March 24, 2026, the Supreme Court of Missouri ruled in a 4-3 decision, that the new congressional maps did not violate the state's Constitution. Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins has until late July to decide whether the map will reach a statewide ballot, following the validation of the petition signatories needed to force a referendum, and a state court's ruling on March 20, 2026, that Hoskins must remove argumentative language from the ballot summary for the possible referendum.[39]
North Carolina
In October, North Carolina Republicans led in the state legislature. Destin Hall and Phil Berger introduced a plan to redraw North Carolina's congressional map to make Don Davis's seat more favorable to Republicans in the hopes of increasing the party's chances of picking up the seat. The measure passed both the State House and State Senate and became law, as it did not require Democratic governor Josh Stein's signature.[40] On November 26, a panel of three federal judges issued a ruling allowing the use of the map.[41]
Utah
In July 2023, in League of Women Voters v. Utah State Legislature, the Utah Supreme Court heard arguments alleging that the Utah Legislature violated 2018 Utah Proposition 4, a citizen-passed anti-gerrymandering proposition, by dividing Salt Lake County voters into all four of Utah's districts. The case was sent back to a state district court, which held a hearing on January 31, 2025. A ruling for the League of Women Voters was issued on August 25.
On October 6, the Utah Legislature passed a new map, which changed two Republican districts to be more competitive. On November 10, Utah Third District Judge Dianna Gibson ruled that the new map also violated Proposition 4, opting to approve a plaintiff-submitted alternative, Map 1, which creates a safe Democratic district comprising a majority of Salt Lake County.[42] Republicans lost appeals at both the Utah Supreme Court and federal court, meaning the newest map would be the one used in the 2026 midterm elections.[43]
In response, over 200,000 Utah Republicans signed a petition to put a ballot measure repealing Prop 4 on the November 2026 ballot.[44] On March 26, 2026, following a coordinated signature removal campaign, the ballot measure fell below the requisite signature threshold and failed to make it onto the ballot.[45]
Indiana
In October 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun called for a special legislative session to begin November 3 to redraw the state's congressional maps.[46] This came after weeks of communication with the Trump administration, including visits by Vice President JD Vance, over the possibility of strengthening the partisan advantage in the state.[47] This push was met with resistance from legislative Republicans, particularly in the Indiana Senate.[48]
On November 14, Indiana Senate leader Rodric Bray announced there were not enough Republican votes to move forward with the redistricting process.[49] On November 18, the Senate voted to adjourn until the next regular session in January 2026.[50][51] On December 5, the Indiana House passed a map that would turn the state's 1st and 7th congressional districts, both held by Democrats, into solidly Republican ones.[52]
On December 8, the Senate convened after reversing its earlier decision to adjourn, and the new maps passed out of committee.[53][54] On December 11, the proposal was rejected in the State Senate after opposition from 21 Republicans and all 10 Democrats, ending the redistricting effort in Indiana.[55] President Trump threatened to support the primary opponents of any Republican who did not support the redistricting effort.[56] Numerous people have been swatted.[57]
Virginia
In late October 2025, Democratic leaders in Virginia announced a process to redraw their state's congressional maps before the 2026 midterms in retaliation for the new map passed in North Carolina. Virginia, similarly to California, has a commission to redraw its congressional districts, and Virginia state leaders had proposed a constitutional amendment to bypass the commission and approve a new congressional map, likely gaining Democrats three or four seats.[58] In Virginia, constitutional amendments have to be approved by the legislature in two consecutive legislative sessions, with a general election in between them, prior to being sent to the public for final passage. On October 29, 2025, the Virginia House of Delegates passed the amendment on a party line vote. The state Senate followed suit on October 31.[59]
Democrats greatly expanded their majority in the House of Delegates in the 2025 election and also flipped the governorship, thus easing the passage of the amendment.[60] On January 16, 2026, the Senate passed the constitutional amendment a second time, following the House of Delegates which had done so earlier in the week.[61] Maps were released in early February and the special election is scheduled for April 21, 2026. Virginia has 6 weeks of early voting, so early voting began on March 6 and is scheduled to run through April 18.[62]
On January 27, a Virginia Circuit Court judge for Tazewell County ruled that the amendment was unlawful because:
- It was passed in a special session which was called for budget reasons, not constitutional amendments, meaning lawmakers were acting out of scope.
- Lawmakers did not publish the amendment on courthouses and courthouse websites three or more months prior to the election.
- The requirement for constitutional amendments to be passed both before and after a general election was invalid as early voting had already begun for the state's 2025 elections by the time of passage.[63][64]
Virginia Democratic leaders condemned the decision and announced an intention to appeal the ruling. Later that day, the Virginia Senate passed a bill that would repeal the provision requiring for the publication of the amendment three months before the election and redirect the appeal process from the Court of Appeals of Virginia to the Circuit Court of the City of Richmond, which is expected to rule in favor of the Democratic efforts.[65] On February 13, the Virginia Supreme Court allowed the special election to approve the new maps set for April 21 to proceed as they consider the case.[66] On February 19, the judge from Tazewell County issued an injunction and restraining order against the special election following the state Republican party filing a suit against the new maps.[67][68] On March 2, a court ruled that the election can still take place and legal battles will be resolved after the election.[69] On April 21, voters approved the referendum allowing the new maps to come into effect until 2030.[70] On April 27, the Virginia Supreme Court began hearing arguments over the constitutionality of the referendum.[71] The court issued its ruling on May 8, declaring the referrendum unconstitutional after ruling that the legislature had not complied with procedural requirements in proposing the amendment.[10]
Following the ruling, House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones filed an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court and filed a motion requesting the state Supreme Court to pause its ruling from taking effect while the appeal plays out.[72]
Maryland
In Maryland, Governor Wes Moore and now former House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones have expressed openness to examining potential changes, particularly regarding the state's sole Republican-held seat, including the possibility of calling a special legislative session on the issue. State Senate President Bill Ferguson reiterated his opposition in an October 2025 letter to colleagues, arguing that mid-decade redistricting could undermine the state’s legal standing and public trust.[73]
On November 4, 2025, Maryland Governor Wes Moore formed of the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Commission, tasked with holding public hearings and providing recommendations for a new congressional map. The creation of the commission signaled an effort by state Democrats to consider redrawing Maryland’s congressional boundaries ahead of the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections, potentially to offset Republican gains in other states. The five-member commission, chaired by U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, also includes two gubernatorial appointees and two legislative leaders or their designees.[74][75] On December 18, 2025, the commission voted to recommend that the state move forward with considering new congressional boundary maps,[76] and on January 20, 2026, the commission voted to recommend a congressional map that would redraw the 1st congressional district to make it more favorable for Democrats.[77] The map passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a 99–37 vote on February 2, 2026,[78] after which Senate President Bill Ferguson said he would not hold a vote for the redistricting bill in the Senate.[79] Ferguson expressed concerns that such a gerrymander would lead to the Maryland Supreme Court striking down the map, which U.S. representative Andy Harris predicted could lead to Republican gains in the state.[80]
In March 2026, during debate on a bill that would require special elections to fill vacancies in the Maryland General Assembly, state delegate Kris Fair added an amendment to the bill that would create a constitutional referendum that would change the Constitution to clarify that its map-drawing guidelines only apply to state legislative districts and not congressional districts, potentially opening the door to Maryland lawmakers making another effort to redraw the state's congressional districts in the future.[81] However, Ferguson said that he was opposed to this proposal, saying that the way the proposal was amended onto the special elections bill would violate the Maryland Constitution's single subject rule, which requires that General Assembly bills only tackle one topic at a time, and that the Senate would not deal with redistricting-related issues again until 2032, when states are required to redraw their congressional districts.[82]
The state legislative session ended in April 2026 with the state Senate leaving the bill in committee.[83]
Florida
In August 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis expressed support for redrawing the state's congressional maps.[84] Following this, Ben Albritton, president of the Florida Senate, announced a redistricting commission to begin the process. In December 2025, a congressional redistricting select committee of the Florida House of Representatives held its first meeting.[85]
On January 7, 2026, DeSantis officially issued a proclamation calling for a special legislative session regarding congressional redistricting. The session is scheduled to convene from April 20-24, 2026, following the conclusion of the regular legislative session. In the proclamation, DeSantis cited the need to comply with an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling and stated that the legislature would appropriate additional funds to defend the new maps against legal challenges.[86] It is expected that the redistricting could add 4 additional Republican seats.[87] Governor DeSantis signed the bill into law on May 4 after the Florida Legislature passed the redistricting bill a week earlier.
New York
Governor Kathy Hochul had previously pledged to involve New York in the national redistricting conflict to counter Republican gains elsewhere.[88] In January 2026, a judge struck down the boundaries of New York City's sole Republican-held district, ruling that the lines diluted the votes of minorities.[89] The ruling provides an opening for the state legislature to redraw the state's congressional map, a move that could potentially net the Democratic Party four to five additional seats.[88] Republican Representative Nicole Malliotakis, whose district was struck down, along with The New York State Republican Elections Commissioner filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in February in an attempt to prevent the redrawing of her district before the 2026 midterm election.[90] On March 2, the Supreme Court blocked the state judge from redrawing the district lines, allowing Malliotakis' original lines to stand for the 2026 midterm elections. The court appeared to be divided ideologically, with liberal justices Sotomayor, Jackson and Kagan publicly dissenting, while conservative Justice Alito openly agreed to the congresswoman's emergency appeal.[91]
Tennessee
Following the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, Bill Lee, the Republican Governor of Tennessee, has called an extraordinary session of the Tennessee Legislature for the purposes of redrawing its congressional districts, targeting Steve Cohen's Memphis-based 9th district, the state's lone Democratic congressional seat.[92]
The new map was passed by the house and senate on May 7, 2026.[93] Governor Lee signed it into law later in the day.[94]
Louisiana v. Callais
In the 2026 Supreme Court case Louisiana v. Callais, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which required majority-minority districts, was partially overturned. The ruling is expected to allow southern states to eliminate these districts, which could allow Republicans to swing multiple seats by 2028.[95] The timing of decision was not expected to have a significant impact for the 2026 general election, as it was issued after multiple states had already begun the primary process, though expected to impact the 2028 election as states would have time to pass new maps.[96] For example, Florida had already been in the process of a redistricting change as part of the larger national push to add more Republican districts prior to the ruling and their primaries. The new maps were passed by the state the day of the decision.[97]
Some states had indicated they will seek to suspend their 2026 primaries to institute maps that reflect the Callais decision.[98] Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and attorney general Liz Murrill announced the day after the decision that they were suspending the state's primary set for May 16 to give time for the legislature to draw a new map that would be compliant with the ruling, despite that mail-in ballots had already been sent to overseas and early voting residents.[99]
Potential expansion
Kansas
In Kansas, Republican leaders in the state legislature approved the budget for a special session on redistricting. The process was stalled as Republican lawmakers did not have enough votes to begin the process.[100] Legislative leadership has stated that a new map will be passed during regular session in January 2026. However, as of January 6, the Republicans were about "20 votes short" in the Kansas House of Representatives, due to Laura Kelly’s veto power.[101]
Illinois
Meanwhile, Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has been urging the states of Illinois and Maryland to pursue new congressional maps as part of a broader Democratic strategy to counter Republican redistricting gains.[102] In Illinois, state legislative leaders have been skeptical of redrawing their congressional lines, arguing it isn't possible, although Jeffries has continued to lobby for action.[103] Governor JB Pritzker emphasized that any decision on whether Illinois should redraw its congressional map would depend on Indiana’s actions, noting that the state was “watching what Indiana does” before considering any response.[104]
Colorado
In Colorado, a constitutional amendment has been proposed which would give the governor (currently Democrat Jared Polis) "emergency redistricting authority" ahead of the 2028 elections. The proposed law would be triggered if "substantial evidence exists that one or more states have enacted congressional redistricting plans that result in severe partisan imbalance."[105] The maps that have been proposed would likely flip three Republican seats and give Democrats a 7-1 majority delegation in the state.[106]
South Carolina
In South Carolina, members of the state legislature have advocated to redraw the state's congressional districts to disfavor Jim Clyburn, the state's sole Democratic representative. Davey Hiott, the Majority Leader of the South Carolina House of Representatives, has said the state will not redistrict.[107]
In May 2026, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a resolution that would extend the legislative calendar of the state to allow for redistricting; the resolution heads to the state senate.[108]
Washington
In Washington, House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon and Representative Sharlett Mena introduced a joint resolution that would amend the constitution of Washington. The amendment would permit the Washington State Legislature to redraw the state's congressional lines if another state redrew their map mid-decade outside of a judicial order. The Olympian reported that the Washington Democratic Party does not have the prerequisite two-thirds majority in both chambers and would require votes from Republicans to pass the resolution, making it unlikely to pass before the 2026 elections.[109] Shasti Conrad, the chairwoman of the Washington State Democratic Party, opened the possibility of redistricting after 2026, should the Democratic Party win supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature.[110]
New Hampshire
There has also been pressure on New Hampshire to redistrict to give Republicans an extra seat. However, governor Kelly Ayotte said she will not pursue redistricting.[111]
Maine
Governor Janet Mills announced she will not pursue redistricting to make Maine's 2nd congressional district bluer.[112][113]
Louisiana
After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's congressional maps for being "an unconstitutional racial gerrymander", Secretary of State Nancy Landry delayed primaries for the U.S. House to allow for a redistricting session. Republican state legislators are expected to draw out two Democratic congressional districts to be more favorable for Republicans. President Donald Trump has supported Louisiana's redistricting efforts.[114]
New Jersey
Shortly after the ruling on redistricting in Louisiana, Governor Mikie Sherrill in an interview said that she is open to redrawing the congressional maps in New Jersey to favor the Democrats. However, the state legislature said that redistricting is not a priority, and any redistricting would happen after the 2026 midterm elections. If redistricting does however go through, New Jersey could eliminate 2-3 Republican held seats.[115]
