Congressional Redistricting Update: 11 States, With 113 Districts, Remain Unfinished
By 270toWin Staff
February 10, 2022, 4:44 PM ET
This week, maps for Kansas and Washington were enacted into law. The shapes for those states will be added to the House Interactive Map in the days ahead. 11 states, with 113 districts, have yet to finalize their plans for the next decade. All of them are in the Eastern or Central time zone.
In Kansas, the Republican-controlled Legislature overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The new map redistricts part of Kansas City out of District 3, endangering the reelection prospects Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in the state's delegation.
In Washington, the Legislature approved a new map, after making very minor changes to a map approved by the state's redistricting commission in November. The new map does not significantly alter the competitive balance in the state.
| State (Districts) | Comments |
| Connecticut (5) | Redistricting commission was unable to pass a new map, punting the responsibility to the State Supreme Court. The Court appointed a special master, who submitted his proposed map. It represents only minor changes from the map currently in use. The Court held a hearing on the merits of the plan late last month. |
| Florida (28) | The state is gaining a district. The state Senate overwhelming approved a plan; the state House has developed a couple proposals of their own. The process was put on hold after Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) asked the Florida Supreme Court to provide an advisory opinion on whether District 5, the only Black opportunity district in the northern part of the state, must remain largely intact. DeSantis had submitted his own map which essentially threw out that structure. On February 10, the Court ruled that it would not provide such an opinion. |
| Louisiana (6) | The Republican-led Legislature is meeting in special session to create a redistricting plan. The state Senate passed a new map on February 8 that largely maintains the status quo. The state House will likely pass a similar plan. Democrats, including Gov. John Bel Edwards favor the addition of a second majority-minority district. If the governor vetoes a plan that reaches his desk, a two-thirds vote in each chamber would be required to override. |
| Minnesota (8) | The legislature has until February 15 to pass a new map. They are more likely than not to miss that deadline, at which point a five-judge panel will take over the process. That panel has already held hearings and may be able to act fairly quickly if needed. |
| Missouri (8) | The Missouri Senate continues to debate a map, passed by the state House, that largely maintains the status quo 6-2 Republican edge that was passed by the state House. Some conservatives in the Senate are pushing for a more aggressive map that would 'crack' Kansas City such that Democrat Emanuel Cleaver would have a difficult time getting reelected. |
| New Hampshire (2) | The Republican-controlled state House approved a map that would make District 1 more favorable for the party. The Senate has not yet taken action; GOP Gov. Chris Sununu has asked that chamber to modify the House map to make both districts more competitive. |
| North Carolina (14) | The state is gaining a district. Returns to the list after the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled the state's new congressional map was a partisan gerrymander in violation of the state constitution. The Court directed the Legislature to draw a new map by February 18. Lawmakers are proceeding with that effort, but also considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| Ohio (15) | The state is losing a district. Ohio returned to the incomplete list after the State Supreme Court invalidated the enacted plan, calling it an unconstitutional Republican gerrymander. The legislature was unsuccessful in its attempt to redraw the map, punting the effort to the Ohio Redistricting Commission. The Commission will have 30 days, beginning February 14, to draw a new map. |
| Pennsylvania (17) | The state is losing a district. The Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court has taken over the redistricting process. Commonwealth Court Judge Patricia McCullough, a Republican, is serving as a special master in the process. She has recommended a map that was previously passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature but vetoed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. A hearing will be held February 18. |
| Rhode Island (2) | Commission has approved a map with little change from the current one. It is not binding on the Democratic-controlled legislature. It will be interesting to see if there is an attempt to shore up District 2, which has a small chance of becoming competitive given the retirement of long-time Rep. Jim Langevin. |
| Wisconsin (8) | In November, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the map passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, passing the process to the State Supreme Court. The Court held a daylong hearing last month to consider various proposals. |
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