Voters lose in redistricting game in the United States

There are two actions that are both anti-democratic and anti-Democratic that Texas Republican state lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott are doing in messing around with the lines of the Lone Star State’s 38 congressional districts and both are bad. And the Texans’ moves are causing other states, notably California, to respond.

It’s an eye for an eye, blinding everyone. We hope that the courts stop Texas and that California then stands down. As for New York, the Empire State isn’t a factor due to our state Constitution and any talk from Albany Dems is just bluster, according to the Tribune News Service.

The first sin of the Texas Republicans, directed by President Donald Trump, is that they have rearranged the maps to maximise the number of districts that Republicans will likely win and minimise the number that Democrats have a good chance at victory.

The GOP thinks that their creation will produce 30 GOP seats, up from the current 25. Trump wants that to pad the Republican’s narrow control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is only three seats. And they were blatant in their partisan political scheme, saying in floor debate in both chambers of the Austin legislature that they wanted more Republicans elected to Congress.

The other sin coming from Texas is that they are gerrymandering — which is as old as the Republic — for the 2026 midterm elections. That is a new one.

Mapmaking has always been a once a decade exercise, following the decennial census. But the most recent census was in 2020 and the next national count isn’t until 2030. So there was normally scheduled redistricting in 2022 and the next round shouldn’t be until 2032.

But why stop there with new maps for 2026? Why not draw new maps every two years? Just think, this way Americans could always have a new member Congress after 24 months due to new districts. Absurd? Of course it is.

This is so very wrong that it’s hard not to agree with the Democrats that they should fight back. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats in the Sacramento legislature have redrawn their 52 districts so the Dems will gain five congressional seats. Those maps are subject to voter approval, which would amend the state constitution.

As for New York, the state Constitution here is much harder to change and it also has constraints on gerrymandering and noncensus cycle year redistricting. We wish more states had those constraints. We wish Texas had the same constraints.

Amending the New York Constitution requires approval by two successive sessions of the Legislature in Albany. So the current state Legislature, the 206th session, which sits from January 2025 until December 2026, will need to approve any change. And then the 207th New York State Legislature that is elected in November 2026 and takes office on Jan. 1, 2027 will also have to vote. If they pass the amendment, it will go to the voters in November 2027.

That despite Albany Democrats who have argued in recent years that they don’t like to have constitutional amendments voted on by the public during double off-years, with no federal or state offices on the ballot.

If approved by voters, the lines for New York’s 26 districts could be redrawn for the 2028 elections, but the state Constitution’s anti-gerrymandering rule would still be in place, so it wouldn’t be like what Texas and California are doing either in terms of timing or political outcome.

Too often New York does the wrong thing, but here New York is the state that is not acting against the interests of the public.