Posted on 08/02/2025 10:57:18 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republicans move to redraw legislative maps in red states to pad their narrow House majority in Washington, some Democrats are rethinking their embrace of a nonpartisan approach to line-drawing that now complicates their party’s ability to hit back before next year’s midterm elections.
In many Democratic-controlled states, independent commissions rather than the state legislature handle redistricting, the normally-once-a-decade task of adjusting congressional and legislative districts so their populations are equal. Parties in the majority can exploit that process to shape their lawmakers’ districts so they are almost guaranteed reelection.
Who controls redistricting in the states
Congressional redistricting after the 2020 census was controlled by Republicans in more states than by Democrats or commissions. In some states, courts imposed the maps.
The commission model limits parties’ ability to game the system, leading to more competitive districts. Not all redistricting commissions were created at Democrats’ insistence. And, like Republicans, the party has exploited line-drawing for its own gain in the handful of states where it controls the process. But unlike Republicans, many Democratic Party leaders have embraced the nonpartisan model.
That means Democrats have fewer options to match Republicans, who are redrawing the U.S. House map in Texas at President Donald Trump’s urging to carve out as many asfive new winnable seats for the GOP. That could be enough to prevent Democrats from winning back the majority next year.
Democrats have threatened payback. During a gathering Friday in Wisconsin of Democratic governors, several of them said they wanted to retaliate because the stakes are so high.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, who has pushed for a nonpartisan redistricting commission in his...
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Yup. Whatever number of seats they may gain in California will be erased after the 2030 census. People are fleeing to red states. Demographics is destiny!
Meaning if the Dems act within the law.
Reminds me of the ‘just do it’ commercial. I can dig it. Democrats have already squeezed out their own districts. Texas should do it now. In 2030 the country can then settle the issue for good. Not counting on it.
The whole notion that they could retaliate is based on the ridiculous presumption that they have heretofore “held back.” Nothing could be more absurd.
The eyes of the nation are on these rhinos and good old boys down here in Texas wimping out to the deep state. It ends.
AP is such trash. As if the rats haven’t pulled this BS already and in multiple states.
Gerry Meandering is an obscene practice that both parties use. In effect it deprives voters of their votes. It is bad.
However, when one party does it the other party must also do it least they loose to unscrupulousness maps drawn in a flawed manner but perfectly legal.
I do not know the answer to correct this as it is a state function and not a federal function and it should be a state function per our constitution.
The problem now is that these blue states are already gerrymandered as much in the Democrats' favor as humanly possible. There's no more juice for them to squeeze.
California has a redistricting commission, which draws the lines.
It’s supposed to be nonpartisan. We can all be the judge of that.
In 2024, Republican candidates in California congressional races, got about 40% of the vote. Yet only nine of 52 congressional seats from California are occupied by Republicans.
The point being, in California, if Gavin Newsom really wants to get his hands on this project, it’s hard to see how he can carve any more Democrat districts through gerrymandering. The current congressional districts already have Democrats overrepresented by quite a bit.
Congressional districts need to be combined. Four hundreds and thirty five congress critters is far too many.
I have thought the answer, would be to use computer technology, to draw congressional districts which are as geographically compact and equal in population as possible.
But then someone told me that computer technology could be altered with algorithms, which would favor one party or another.
So that brings us back to having partisan political people drawing congressional district lines. And they will always have that bias, even if they try to be fair and balanced in drawing the congressional lines.
We need to go back to the time before the Warren court made the “one man one vote” ruling, circa 1965. Congressional districts were essentially drawn on a grid throughout the country.
It gave less populated rural districts a little more clout but the great benefit to the country was the built-in environmental protection. I was a young teenager at the time and don’t recall the details of the ruling very well but it sure would bear looking into.
> I have thought the answer, would be to use computer technology, to draw congressional districts which are as geographically compact and equal in population as possible.<
That’s pretty much what the Republicans did in Texas. Ironically, it made some districts more Hispanic and the deMS-13s proved their racism because the Hispanics are trending Republican. Believe it or not. The deMS-13s fled the state to break a quorum. I hope Abbott rounds them up and arrests them this time.
EC
So the RATs who jacked with the census to give themselves more seats are upset that the Pubs have found a legal way to gain some seats?
Yes that’s correct.
AP must think their readers are idiots.
The State of Louisiana vs. Calais will be decided soon at the USSC. It might do away with race based gerrymandering altogether. We will soon find out where it goes.
Good!
Time to get election integrity back in our country.
Its about time the Pubs started playing hardball.
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