Obnoxious redistricting war must end
A few states have led by example in refusing to redraw voting districts mid-decade
ANOTHER VIEW | CHICAGO TRIBUNE
The most encouraging redistricting news of the year came from two states that did nothing.
Illinois lawmakers adjourned without drawing new congressional maps. South Carolina legislators, including Republicans, rejected a President Donald Trump-backed remap that would have tilted the political playing field.
Given this news, we were left hoping the mid-decade redistricting wars were slowing down.
But New York just reminded everyone that the next battle may already be underway.
New York's Democrat-controlled legislature advanced a proposal recently that would significantly weaken New York's current independent redistricting system and give the legislature much more control over drawing political maps.
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom in February said of the Democrats, "we need to fight fire with fire."
But we view things more like Republican New York Assemblyman Josh Jensen.
"If another state manipulates its maps for partisan gain, that doesn't make it virtuous," he said. "If Republicans somewhere do something wrong, Democrats doing the same thing doesn't make it right."
The National Conference of State Legislatures has been tracking which states made — or attempted to make — changes to district maps between the 2020 and 2030 redistricting cycles, beginning in late 2025. Nearly 20 states have considered mid-decade redistricting, with 10 successfully following through.
Virginia voters in April approved a similar voterapproved constitutional amendment that would've advantaged Democrats, which the state Supreme Court rejected in May.
Republican legislatures and Democratic legislatures alike are increasingly treating district maps as political weapons that can be redrawn whenever circumstances change. That's a bad thing.
The battle kicked off in Texas last August when Lone Star state legislators approved a new map that massively favors Republicans.
California fired back, adopting a map via ballot measure last November that would give Democrats five more House seats.
In May, Tennessee adopted a Republican-tilted map. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also signed into law last month a new map that favors the GOP.
Georgia state legislators are expected soon to consider redistricting legislation.
Some experts argue the only solution is to implement federal limits to partisan gerrymandering. And yet the federalist structure of our government — largely giving states the power to determine their own fates — complicates that idea.
The best solution is still to leave it to the states, which should have independent commissions create maps based on geography, not politics.
That would require something increasingly rare in U.S. politics: People willing to do the right thing.
It's not an impossibility, as South Carolina proved. So, too, did Indiana.
The partisan redistricting wars weaken our democracy.
Americans already endure endless campaigning. They should not have to endure endless redistricting, too.
