Redistricting Battles Escalate as Missouri, California Respond to partisan Mapmaking
JEFFERSON CITY, MO & SACRAMENTO, CA – A wave of partisan redistricting efforts is sweeping the nation, with Missouri and California the latest states to redraw congressional maps in response to moves by other states, raising concerns about the future of fair elections. The actions come as former President Trump has reportedly urged Republican states to aggressively reshape districts to maximize GOP depiction.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe called a special legislative session in September, resulting in a new map likely to flip the Kansas City-area’s 5th Congressional District, currently held by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, to Republican control. This would leave St. Louis’ 1st District as the state’s sole Democratic-held seat in the eight-member House delegation. A citizen-led initiative, peoplenotpoliticiansmo.org,is underway to challenge the Missouri redistricting plan.
The Missouri move follows similar efforts in Texas and North Carolina, both of which have approved re-gerrymandered maps this year. Indiana, Ohio, and Florida are also considering redrawing districts.
Meanwhile,California voters recently approved a measure temporarily suspending the state’s nonpartisan redistricting commission,established in 2010. The move allows the state legislature to redraw congressional lines, a response to the partisan mapmaking occurring in other states. This is projected to create five additional Democratic seats in California’s 52-seat delegation, currently held by 43 Democrats and 9 Republicans.
The California commission, praised for its impartiality, previously removed the redistricting process from the hands of politicians. The suspension is set to expire in 2030,at which point the state will revert to the nonpartisan commission model.
The escalating cycle of redistricting is prompting other blue states, including Illinois and Virginia, to consider similar responses. Experts warn that without intervention, this could lead to frequent, pre-midterm map revisions by both parties, further eroding democratic principles.
As previously argued, gerrymandering – the manipulation of district boundaries for partisan advantage – undermines the essential principle of voters choosing their representatives.
