What’s the Texas redistricting fight about, and how has California reacted?

President Donald Trump and his allies person kicked disconnected a redistricting fight successful the United States arsenic the country’s 2 main governmental parties space for vantage successful the 2026 midterm elections.

In an effort to support power of Congress, Republican leaders successful the right-wing stronghold of Texas person pushed to redraw the state’s legislature districts successful a mode that would nett the enactment arsenic galore arsenic 5 further seats successful the US House of Representatives.

Trump has encouraged the effort, calling it a “big WIN for the Great State of Texas”. The state’s Senate is expected to ballot connected the caller territory plans arsenic aboriginal arsenic Thursday evening.

But that effort has prompted a backlash. The Democratic-leaning authorities of California responded successful kind by passing a program connected Thursday to wantonness nonpartisan redistricting and make caller legislature maps that could bring the Democrats 5 much seats, negating the effort successful Texas.

Party leaders successful different states, including Missouri and Florida, person besides indicated they whitethorn question to rejigger their districts to prime up much seats.

The standoff points to larger questions astir however to guarantee just practice successful Congress and however Trump has sought to exert wide-reaching power implicit the country’s governmental system.

With Trump’s support standing slipping to astir 40 percent, Republicans hazard losing their narrow, 219-person bulk successful the 435-seat House of Representatives successful the midterm races.

So what is redistricting? And what could it mean for upcoming elections? We reply those questions and much successful this speedy explainer.

What is redistricting?

Simply put, the signifier of redistricting refers to drafting the boundaries of an predetermination district.

Ideally, districts should beryllium designed arsenic an close and proportionate reflection of the area’s population. Maps are mostly updated each 10 years, successful accordance with the latest colonisation census.

But governmental parties tin instrumentality steps to signifier districts to their benefit, successful a process sometimes referred to arsenic gerrymandering.

That involves uncovering originative ways to maximise the fig of seats a enactment tin triumph by carving districts based connected demographics and voting trends, to summation the electoral value of definite groups and minimise the power of others.

“Politicians tin look astatine accusation astir the partisan and demographic breakdown of an country and stack the decks successful their favour,” said Thad Kousser, a prof of governmental subject astatine the University of California astatine San Diego.

This signifier has a agelong and fraught past successful the US, particularly successful states with histories of segregation and discrimination, wherever maps were often drawn to dilute practice for number voters.

What is happening successful Texas?

While redistricting is acold from new, Texas has been successful the spotlight precocious for a peculiarly overt partisan effort.

Part of the contention stems from the engagement of President Trump, who prompted Texas Republicans to redraw maps.

In June and July, reports began to look that the White House was holding calls with Texas authorities leaders to tee up a redistricting battle, successful mentation for the 2026 midterms.

Despite aboriginal concerns that the effort could backfire, Republican lawmakers successful the authorities rapidly enactment the program successful motion.

Speaking by telephone to CNBC connected August 5, Trump seemed to suggest that the make-up of the US Congress should bespeak his occurrence successful the 2024 statesmanlike race.

“We should person galore much seats successful Congress,” Trump said. “I got the highest ballot successful the past of Texas, arsenic you astir apt know, and we are entitled to 5 much seats.”

The state’s House of Representatives passed a caller predetermination representation connected Wednesday, and the Texas Senate is expected to bash the aforesaid successful the adjacent fewer days. The caller maps would carve retired 5 further districts successful areas wherever Trump performed powerfully during the past election.

How did Texas Democrats respond?

Texas Democrats condemned the redistricting arsenic a partisan powerfulness drawback and tried to forestall a ballot connected the caller legislature map.

In aboriginal August, they left the state successful a bid to contradict the Texas legislature the quorum it needed to determination the program forward.

But arsenic a number voting bloc successful the firmly Republican authorities legislature, the Democrats yet failed to halt the redistricting scheme.

While away, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the absent Democrats’ arrest, and the Republicans successful the authorities House echoed that effort with a ballot to contented apprehension warrants. Abbott besides threatened the Democrats with transgression charges, including for bribery, if they solicited funds during their absence.

What’s more, the Texas Democrats faced a bid of reported weaponry threats astatine their Illinois hotels. Eventually, aft 2 weeks, they returned to their location state, allowing the ballot to proceed.

Democratic leaders person said that, portion they did not halt the redistricting push, they drew attraction to the contented and are preparing to situation the caller maps successful court.

Do some parties gerrymander?

Yes, some parties person engaged successful gerrymandering, and the signifier has been employed passim US past successful varying contexts.

In caller years, however, the signifier has been much commonly associated with right-leaning states.

Princeton University’s Gerrymandering Project found that states with the astir terrible gerrymandering thin to beryllium Republican-led states successful the confederate US, wherever the signifier has historically been employed to dilute the power of Black voters.

The task besides recovered that a fistful of states, specified arsenic Oregon, Illinois and Nevada, person partisan predetermination maps that heavy favour Democrats.

Some Democrats antecedently criticised gerrymandering arsenic anti-democratic and pushed for changes to guarantee that redistricting is nonpartisan.

“Public servants should gain the votes of the radical that they anticipation to represent. What Republicans are trying to bash successful Texas is to person politicians take their voters,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries precocious told reporters.

But arsenic Trump seeks to summation his party’s advantage, immoderate Democratic leaders person urged the enactment to alteration its attack and “fight occurrence with fire” done much explicitly partisan tactics.

Is gerrymandering legal?

Courts have, connected occasion, struck down gerrymandered legislature maps connected the ground that they interruption the US Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by disadvantaging radical minorities and different demographics.

But the Supreme Court has ruled it volition not intervene successful questions of partisan gerrymandering, though authorities courts can.

How is California responding?

Following the developments successful Texas, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his authorities would statesman its ain redistricting effort meant to adhd 5 legislature seats to the Democrats’ tally successful the US House of Representatives.

California, the largest authorities by population, is considered solidly left-leaning: Nearly 47 percent of registered voters identified arsenic Democrat successful 2023, compared with 24 percent for Republicans.

On Thursday, the state’s legislature voted mostly on enactment lines to guardant the redistricting program to Newsom’s table for a signature.

“It’s the information that this has been truthful baldly governmental and driven by demands from Trump that has allowed Democrats to instrumentality the gloves off,” said Kousser.

Newsom has depicted his actions arsenic an unfortunate but indispensable effect to the Texas Republicans.

He said helium volition shelve California’s redistricting plans if Texas agrees to bash the same, but helium argues that Democrat-led states cannot “unilaterally disarm” and let partisan redistricting to disadvantage them successful Congress.

“Other bluish states request to basal up,” Newsom said arsenic helium announced his plan. “We request to beryllium firm.”

Former Democratic President Barack Obama said that, portion his “preference” is to bash distant with gerrymandering, Newsom was taking a “responsible approach” by countering the Republicans.

Are different states considering redistricting plans?

Yes. The Republican-led authorities of Ohio announced redistricting plans, and Republican leaders successful Florida, Indiana and Missouri person besides suggested they volition travel suit.

Meanwhile, officials successful the Democrat-led authorities of Illinois are besides mulling changes to the map-drawing process. New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul besides said that her authorities whitethorn prosecute redistricting if Texas moves guardant with its plan.

How could this impact aboriginal elections?

It is unclear however overmuch this redistricting conflict volition extremity the scales for either party, peculiarly arsenic Democrats see steps to negate Republican gains.

But experts accidental determination are mostly much Republican-led states wherever redistricting mightiness beryllium viable

The superior nonsubjective is to summation an vantage successful anticipation of the 2026 midterms, erstwhile power of Congress is up for grabs.

While each authorities receives precisely 2 senators, the fig of representatives successful the House varies depending connected each state’s colonisation size. All 435 seats successful the House volition beryllium up for grabs successful the midterms, and each legislature territory is liable for selecting the victor for 1 of those seats.

Trump past period called Texas the top prize — “the biggest one” — successful the redistricting battle.

On Thursday, helium framed the 5 seats Republicans anticipation to summation determination arsenic integral to his platform: “On our mode to FIVE much Congressional seats and redeeming your Rights, your Freedoms, and your Country, itself. Texas ne'er lets america down.”

But halfway done Trump’s archetypal word successful office, the Republicans mislaid their bulk successful the House during the midterm elections. That nonaccomplishment gave Democrats greater powerfulness to stymie Trump’s legislative priorities.

“Trump is urging his allies to redraw districts arsenic a mode to insulate him and his governmental enactment from imaginable backlash successful the midterms,” said Kousser.

Isn’t California doing the aforesaid happening arsenic Texas?

Newsom has attempted to assuage concerns astir California’s redistricting strategy by contrasting his program with the 1 successful Texas.

He says that California’s caller representation volition spell earlier voters successful November for approval, dissimilar successful Texas, and volition lone spell into effect if Republican-led states bash the same.

Still, his efforts would necessitate sidelining a nonpartisan redistricting sheet antecedently approved by California voters.

But Kousser says that Trump’s propulsion for greater sway implicit the country’s governmental strategy whitethorn induce much Democrats to follow partisan redistricting for themselves.

“Newsom was explicit that determination is simply a mode to backmost down from this arms race,” helium said. “But he’s besides saying that, if Republicans don’t backmost distant from this, Democrats volition usage these means arsenic well.”