Free Republic

Once in a great while, what happens at the bottom of the ballot can reshape a state’s political future for decades to come. While New Yorkers on Election Day will vote on the controversial “Equal Rights Amendment,” Ohio is ground zero for an effort to wrest control away from the people and give it to unelected, Fauci-like bureaucrats to achieve “redistricting reform.” And the movement is anything but organic: It’s an out-of-state (and even international) attempt by left-wing politicians to trick voters into rewriting our state constitution by passing Issue 1. The ballot measure — masterminded by the likes of...

New York Democrats rammed through new congressional maps that’ll give the party an edge in this year’s elections – then created new limits on legal challenges to their changes during an “emergency” vote Wednesday. The vote on the Democratic-friendly maps happened so quickly after they were officially pitched that Gov. Kathy Hochul had to issue an emergency order to allow lawmakers to act. With lawsuits looming to challenge their plan, state lawmakers also passed a bill that limits the filing of lawsuits against the changes to Democrat-friendly counties Erie, Albany, Westchester and New York. The redrawn maps — which came...

Democratic Rep. Yvette Clarke is running for re-election this year in New York’s 9th District to FINISH THE JOB of utterly destroying New York.To achieve her goal of ruining a once great city, Clarke is demanding MORE illegal migrants.Clarke actually admitted that the Democrats need more migrants to overrun their cities and states for “redistricting purposes.”“I’m from Brooklyn, New York. We have a diaspora that can absorb a significant number of these migrants,” said Clarke, who has served on the House Committee on Homeland Security. “When I hear colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed...

Many Americans are watching the situation unfold at the US border and can’t help but think that a disaster of this magnitude must be planned, right? While the media and the left dismiss the “Great Replacement Theory” as a wild conspiracy, it’s not a wild conspiracy; it’s very real. ... In fact, left-wing lawmakers are now openly acknowledging this plot on live TV. Rep. Yvette Clarke let the cat out of the bag when she explained how she needs more illegals in her state for “redistricting purposes.” What does that mean? Simple: Democrats are now openly admitting they’re importing third-world...

A liberal Swiss billionaire known for meddling in U.S. elections has funneled millions of dollars to former attorney general Eric Holder's effort to redraw electoral maps in favor of Democrats, newly obtained documents reveal. The Berger Action Fund, the advocacy arm of Swiss megadonor Hansjörg Wyss's Wyss Foundation, passed $3 million to the National Redistricting Action Fund (NRAF) between 2018 and 2020. The NRAF is the 501(c)(4) lobbying arm of Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a self-described "centralized hub for executing a comprehensive redistricting strategy" to give Democrats an edge in congressional races. Holder, who chairs the National Democratic Redistricting...

Washington — A federal judge in Georgia on Thursday approved a congressional map redrawn by the state's GOP-led legislature after its original voting lines were found to be crafted in violation of federal voting rights law. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones said in a 15-page order that the General Assembly "fully complied" with his October order that required the creation of a majority-Black congressional district in the western part of metro Atlanta. His acceptance of the new map, which maintains Republicans' 9-5 edge for its congressional delegation, sets up the new bounds to be used in the 2024 election. Jones...

Wisconsin’s gerrymandering case has garnered national attention. But a little-explored aspect of the suit — the pervasive presence of “Swiss cheese” districts — could have huge ramifications for the outcome.

ATLANTA – Georgia Democrats scored minimal gains in the General Assembly in last year’s elections – and even lost one congressional seat – despite population growth during the last decade among Blacks, who tend to vote for Democrats. But Democratic prospects likely will look a lot better after lawmakers gather under the Gold Dome for a special session starting Wednesday and redraw the state’s legislative and congressional lines on the orders of a federal judge appointed by then-President Barack Obama. “(Republican incumbents are) either going to end up in districts highly likely to elect a Democrat or in a district...

A federal appeals court has set a mid-January deadline for the Louisiana state legislature to draw up a new congressional map, which comes in a long-running legal dispute that included a lower court ruling that found the current map likely unfairly diluted the power of black voters. A three-judge panel in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its order on Nov. 10, requiring the state legislature to pass a new map by Jan. 15, 2024. The appeals court's order notes that, if the state legislature fails to adopt a new map by the deadline, then the lower court should...

Democrat-appointed judge ordered Republican legislature to create one new black-majority congressional district and seven such districts for state elections. Judge Jones said if the legislature fails to act, he would carry out the map-drawing process himself.

North Carolina Republicans officially unveiled their first set of redistricting maps on Wednesday. With the formerly Democratic-dominated state supreme court now firmly in Republican control, Republicans are hoping these new maps – which will be fast-tracked to passage in the coming weeks – will help them strengthen their hold on power. Currently, Republicans hold supermajorities in both houses of the legislature, while the state’s House delegation is split evenly with seven Democrats and seven Republicans.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a defeat to Alabama Republicans for the second time in three months, rejecting their latest attempt to use a congressional map that includes only one majority-Black district. The court in two related applications refused emergency requests from Republican state officials to block lower court rulings that invalidated the new map. Lower court proceedings to approve a new map are still ongoing. The decision was in line with the Supreme Court ruling against the state in June that reaffirmed a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act. There were no noted dissenting votes and...

In a slight surprise, Ohio’s congressional maps will remain unchanged for the 2024 cycle. The plaintiffs for a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of the maps dropped their case. As a result, the Ohio Supreme Court dropped the case without comment. This unusual choice by the plaintiffs likely comes as a response to the imminent threat of a stronger Republican gerrymander that could change the current map’s 10-5 Republican majority into a harsher 13-2 majority. However, this only delays the inevitable – the map will still need to be redrawn after the 2024 cycle, as it was only approved for...

Redistricting for congressional seats typically takes place prior to the first congressional elections held after a census is conducted, but the congressional maps in some states are still in limbo ahead of the second congressional elections based on the current census data. Three states have had recent developments in legal battles over how congressional districts will look for the 2024 election, with one state having its map for the election solidified. Here is a look at the redistricting situations in Florida, Ohio, and Alabama. Florida The congressional map in the Sunshine State is currently in legal limbo after a circuit...

A New York court ordered the state to redraw its congressional districts again on Thursday, opening the door for Democrats to boost their chances in the race for the House majority next year. The appellate court ruled that the state’s redistricting commission failed to meet its constitutional obligations during the most recent redistricting cycle and must draw a new set of maps. Republicans have vowed to appeal, but if the order holds, it would give Democrats an advantage in the new maps, as the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission holds little power. During the last election cycle, the court notes, the...

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is recruiting former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-TX) to run for her old seat in Texas’s 34th congressional district. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) defeated Flores last year, and the NRCC has made the 34th congressional seat a prime target in the upcoming elections. The NRCC shared a poll that found Flores tied with Gonzalez and a memo that said Flores “has already proven she can win, and new polling shows she remains popular.” The memo claimed that the district is one of the better pickup opportunities as Republicans attempt to widen their House Republican majority.

Democrat politicians — including former President Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder — and liberal judges are working to rig the election system to put their cronies in power forever. In the United States, our Constitution leaves it up to we the people to decide how we draw our election maps. And — like so many other things written into that power-separating, government-limiting Constitution of ours — voices on the Left hate that fact with a burning passion. But now, there’s a multi-pronged effort by leftists to secure a permanent Dem majority under the guise of creating “fairer” districts...

The Supreme Court is slated to release decisions for the 10 cases remaining on its 2022-2023 term docket this week, which will include major rulings on affirmative action and election law. Justices have already issued rulings on major Indian law cases, struck down Alabama’s congressional district map under the Voting Rights Act and limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate under the Clean Water Act. But the most highly anticipated cases of the term—including ones about religious rights, affirmative action and President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan—are still to come. Religious Accommodations A former postal worker’s right to...

The Supreme Court has ordered North Carolina Republican leaders, the Biden administration, and voting rights groups to file additional briefs in a closely watched case as the 2024 presidential election looms. In a brief order, the court called for the parties involved to file “supplemental letter briefs” addressing the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction over the case, given that the North Carolina Supreme Court has agreed to rehear the redistricting dispute at its center.

A panel of three federal judges in South Carolina ruled Friday the state’s 1st District was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and ordered state lawmakers to redraw the congressional map before any more elections can be held. The decision gave lawmakers until March to draw new lines for the district, which runs along the state’s southern coast and is currently represented by Republican Nancy Mace. The ruling is the latest in suits over this decade’s congressional redistricting based on the 2020 census results, including in states such as Florida and Texas. An individual voter and the state’s NAACP filed the lawsuit...