Rapid reconfiguration of district boundaries in California mirrors America's shift towards political partisan redistricting under the Trump administration.
In a series of strategic moves, politicians in several states, including Texas and California, are engaging in high-stakes redistricting battles that could significantly impact the control of the U.S. House and the political future of key leaders.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken an opposition stance, asserting that Texas' new map is constitutional, while criticising California's as "a joke" and likely to be overturned. Abbott has also hinted at further efforts in other Republican-led states to secure more House seats for the party.
The partisanship in Texas' redistricting plan has raised grave concerns for Sara Rohani, assistant counsel with the Legal Defense Fund. Rohani believes the plan could infringe on the promises of the Voting Rights Act for minority groups. Texas state Rep. Gene Wu shares these concerns, expressing his worry about the future of American democracy due to the partisan war for power over redistricting.
The Supreme Court's stance on these challenges has been one of skepticism. In a recent case involving Louisiana, the Court failed to issue a decision on whether the state must create a second congressional district to comply with the Voting Rights Act and elect a Black candidate.
Justice Clarence Thomas, who has long argued that it is unconstitutional to draw election districts based on racial lines, regardless of the Voting Rights Act, may now have a majority that agrees with him. If Thomas's view becomes the majority, such a ruling could squelch discrimination claims from Black and Latino lawmakers in Texas and elsewhere, further clearing the path for partisan gerrymandering.
President Trump expressed enthusiasm about a redistricting plan favouring Republicans in Texas, which could potentially result in five more Congressional seats for the state. In response, California's Democratic leaders have announced their own legislative success in putting to voters a redrawn congressional map that strongly favours Democrats.
The efforts of Texas and California are not isolated. Politicians in states such as Ohio, Florida, Maryland, and Illinois are considering similar moves to influence congressional elections. L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis has made her intention to run for the redrawn 38th District clear within California politics.
The public opinion on these temporary gerrymandering efforts is divided. According to a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, 48% of voters said they would cast ballots in favour, while 20% were undecided.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California is encouraging Democratic leaders in other states to revisit their own maps, stating that the actions of the California Legislature will inspire other legislative leaders to save this democracy and stop authoritarian actions. Governors JB Pritzker of Illinois and Kathy Hochul of New York have signalled that they may be willing to revisit their own maps as well.
The ongoing redistricting battles threaten the progress made in reducing gerrymandering, according to Sam Wang, president of the Electoral Innovation Lab at Princeton University. Wang has received an increased number of inquiries about gerrymandering due to the recent redistricting efforts in Texas and California, suggesting that these efforts are pushing things "to a new low point."
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