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A redistricting effort ahead of the November elections has reshaped congressional voting districts for millions of Americans. Since President Donald Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw U.S. House districts last year, Republicans in several states have enacted new maps that could help them win additional seats in the midterms. Louisiana is expected to join soon, and Alabama Republicans are appealing a court decision blocking a map they support. Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats, while Democrats think they could gain six from new districts in California and Utah. The redistricting battle continues across several states.
AP
Early in-person voting has begun in South Carolina’s primaries as state senators consider canceling congressional votes. Senators are debating whether to adopt a new U.S. House map and reschedule the congressional primaries until August. The plan is backed by President Donald Trump. But some South Carolina state senators have concerns that the attempt to win an additional seat could backfire and result in losses in the November elections. The effort is part of a national Republican strategy to redraw voting districts to maintain a slim House majority. Republicans suffered a setback Tuesday in Alabama, where a federal court panel blocked a bid to use a different congressional map, citing racial discrimination.
AP
Republicans are rushing to redraw congressional districts to their advantage after a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened minority protections under the Voting Rights Act. New U.S. House districts have already been enacted in Tennessee and Alabama and are progressing in Louisiana and South Carolina. However, legal and legislative hurdles remain before these maps can be used in the November elections. President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redistrict to try to maintain the GOP's narrow House majority. The redistricting effort is unusual, because House maps typically are redrawn only after a census.
AP
The South Carolina House has endorsed a plan to redraw its congressional districts to favor Republicans at the urging of President Donald Trump. The chamber voted Wednesday on a new congressional map sending it to the more skeptical state Senate. Some Republicans have questioned whether redistricting could backfire — making districts competitive enough for Democrats to gain seats instead of securing all seven for the GOP. If the proposal becomes law, South Carolina would delay its U.S. House primaries to August and spend at least $3 million on another statewide election. Lawsuits against a new map are likely.
AP
State senators in Louisiana are considering a new congressional map after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the previous one. The new plan would eliminate a majority-Black district, giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat in the November midterm elections. Louisiana must redraw its map after the court ruled it illegally used race to gerrymander. But the court ruling weakening the Voting Rights Act also spawned a wave of redistricting efforts in Southern states. South Carolina's governor is the latest to push for congressional redistricting ahead of the midterms and could call lawmakers into a special session.
AP
Republican senators in Louisiana have advanced a plan to eliminate one of two majority-Black, Democratic-held congressional seats. The Senate committee vote early Wednesday follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's House map as an illegal racial gerrymander. Committee members heard hours of testimony from Black residents and Democrats opposed to the move. Republicans chose not to target both Democratic seats. The Supreme Court's recent ruling weakening Voting Rights Act protections has prompted similar redistricting efforts in Southern states like Tennessee and Alabama. Those efforts are part of a broader national redistricting battle that has involved about one-third of the states.
AP
President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape U.S. House districts have seen mixed outcomes. South Carolina senators defied his push Tuesday, while Missouri's top court upheld a new map backed by Trump that could benefit Republicans in the midterm elections. The national redistricting battle has been raging for 10 months. But it became more intense after the U.S. Supreme Court recently weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. The ruling has led Republicans in states such as Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama to push for new districts. South Carolina senators expressed concerns that redistricting could backfire, resulting in losses to Democrats.
AP
Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are poised to vote on a plan to reshape a majority-Black congressional district. The move is part of a broader strategy in Southern states following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act. The court found Louisiana relied too heavily on race when creating a second Black-majority district. Tennessee's proposal would break up a Democratic-held district centered on Memphis. Alabama and South Carolina are also considering redistricting changes. President Donald Trump has encouraged the redistricting. But Democrats and civil rights activists have criticized the efforts.
AP
Republicans across several Southern states moved forward with redistricting efforts ahead of the midterm elections, despite protests and fierc…