The Gerrymandering Wars: Texas, California, and 2026

This August, lawmakers in Texas passed a mid-decade congressional map, giving Texas republicans 5 more seats in the House of Representatives for the upcoming 2026 elections. Usually, maps are redrawn every 10 years after a population census is taken to determine districts. However, following calls from Trump, the GOP decided to gerrymander as an attempt to grab all the power they can muster before the 2026 elections. The constitutionality of such actions is shady at best, as the new maps reduce the voting power of minorities, which is directly in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is unlikely to make any decisions in order not to anger Trump and the GOP.

In mid-August, Democratic members of the Texas House staged a two-week walkout to deny Republicans the quorum needed to advance their mid-decade redistricting bill, stating that the redistricting was "a blatant violation of the constitution and a grab for power". GOP leaders reacted aggressively. The House Speaker authorized civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats, and, in some cases, state police were tasked with locating and returning them. Despite the walkout, Republicans eventually secured enough votes to pass the map. But the walkout succeeded in drawing national attention to the controversy and delaying the process, while also serving as a symbolic protest against the GOP's grab for power.

Just 2 days ago, on August 23rd, California Governor Gavin Newsom passed Proposition 50, known formally as the Use of Legislative Congressional Redistricting Map Amendment. This amendment is headed to voters on November 4, via a special statewide election and redraws California districts, giving democrats 5 more seats in the House. This amendment is clearly a direct retaliation against the gerrymandering by Governor Greg Abbot in Texas. Mike McGuire, California's senate president, stated, "Today was more than drawing lines on a map. It was about drawing a line in the sand to stop Texas, to stop Donald Trump from rigging this election". This bold gambit is boosting Newsom's national profile as a fighter against Trump.

The gerrymandering battle happening between Texas and California for the upcoming 2026 elections is likely not where the fight for House control will end. The White House is looking to Ohio, where a unique state law requires the legislature to approve new maps this year, as well as Missouri, Florida, Indiana, and South Carolina, where Republicans are in full control of state governments, as opportunities to add more favorable districts. Democratic governors in Illinois, Maryland, and New York have also floated redrawing their maps to add more Democratic-leaning districts.

Beyond the partisan battle for control, the redrawn maps in Texas also directly harms the voting power of minorities in Texas, By cramming many minority neighborhoods into one seat, the Texas legislature dilutes their voting power. This practice directly undermines equal representation and is a clear violation of the Voting Rights Act. The result is that minority voters are left with less political influence, even in areas where they make up a significant share of the population.

But gerrymandering as a whole signals a wider problem with the system; it makes government power feel less about the will of the people and more about the manipulation of district lines. Today's battle for control is only the beginning and will certainly bring more chaos in the future.