redistricting Archives - The Pennsylvania Daily Star

Redistricting Won’t Hurt GOP Chances at Keeping the House, Experts Say

April 5, 2024 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Changes in congressional district boundary lines across several states do not appear to have damaged Republicans’ chances of maintaining a majority in the House of Representatives after 2024’s elections, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana and New York have experienced redistricting processes ahead of the 2024 election. While experts had previously forecast adverse changes from redistricting in these states that could have cost GOP incumbents their seats, the processes have resulted, on balance, in races where likely losses of some GOP seats could be offset by the gains in other states, experts told the DCNF.

North Carolina May Upend Dems’ Dreams of Redistricting Their Way Back into Power

November 1, 2023 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

North Carolina’s recently redrawn congressional map could upend Democrats’ use of redistricting to gain back the House majority ahead of 2024.

The Supreme Court declined to allow Alabama to use its Republican-drawn congressional map in late September, a federal judge is requiring Georgia to redraw its maps to better represent black voters and another case in Louisiana could result in an additional majority-black district. Democrats could lose up to four congressional seats in North Carolina after the GOP-controlled state legislature’s new map was approved last week, which is expected to end up in court, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Democrats’ Dreams Turn to Dust as Adjudicated Redistricting Maps Set the Stage for Large Republican Gains in 2022

May 10, 2022May 9, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

The Democratic Party’s hopes of gaining seats from redistricting have been crushed as court decisions and an increasingly aggressive GOP produced more Republican-friendly maps.

Democrats were initially optimistic that they could mitigate projected midterm losses in the House when it appeared they were poised to score wins in the redistricting process. However, the party’s hopes have been dashed after key losses in major states erased their redistricting advantage.

Louisiana’s Republican Legislature Overrides Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards Veto of Redistricting Plan

April 5, 2022April 4, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Louisiana’s Republican-controlled legislature voted to override Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’s veto of the congressional redistricting plan they passed in mid-February.

The new congressional maps will maintain the partisan makeup status quo of the the state’s delegation to the United States House of Representatives.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu Unveils Redistricting Plan

March 24, 2022March 23, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has unveiled his redistricting plan for the state’s two congressional districts.

This comes after Sununu, a Republican, promised to veto the GOP-controlled legislature’s approved redistricting plan.

Senator Proposes Changes to Pennsylvania’s Redistricting Commission

March 21, 2022March 20, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

State Sen. David Argall (R-Mahanoy City) last week proposed two constitutional amendments that would affect state-legislative redistricting in Pennsylvania.

The first reform the senator wants to make would change the process for choosing the chair of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC), which oversees remapping of the General Assembly’s districts every 10 years. Current law directs the state Supreme Court to pick a chairperson, effectively deciding which party controls the five-member commission on which the Republican and Democratic leaders of the state House and state Senate sit.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu to Veto Republican Legislature Redistricting Plan

March 18, 2022March 17, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

New Hampshire Governor Republican Chris Sununu has declared that he will veto the redistricting plan that was passed by the state Senate on Thursday.

The plan had previously passed the state House in January.

New Hampshire State Senate Set to Vote on House-Passed Redistricting Proposal

March 17, 2022March 16, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The New Hampshire State Senate is set to vote on the House-approved redistricting plan on Thursday.

New Hampshire is one of four remaining states that have yet to complete their congressional redistricting process. The others are Louisiana, Florida, and Missouri.

Democrats Currently Lead in National Redistricting Efforts with Four States Still Completing Process

March 10, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Democrats currently have the lead in redistricting efforts with four states still working on new maps.

Forty states, 46 if the states that have one congressional district are included, have finished the process of drawing new maps for U.S. House of Representatives districts. Only Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, and New Hampshire have yet to finish their redistricting process.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Redistricting Appeals in North Carolina, Pennsylvania

March 9, 2022March 8, 2022 Cooper Moran

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from Republicans in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, an attempt to prevent the states’ redistricting maps.

GOP leaders in both states asked the Court for a temporary stay of the two maps in order to block them from being fully enacted. Because the ruling is not on the constitutionality of the maps, litigation can continue while the boundaries are in place.

Pennsylvania Redistricting Results in Slight Democrat Partisan Edge for the State’s 17th Congressional District

February 27, 2022February 26, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

The Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s selection of the state’s new congressional maps has given Democrats a slight partisan edge in the 17th Congressional District.

Prior to redistricting, PA-17 was given a partisan rating by fivethirtyeight of R+2. It is now rated D+1. The Cook Political Report says the race for the seat is currently a tossup.

Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District Partisan Makeup Barely Affected by Redistricting

February 25, 2022February 24, 2022 Aaron Gulbransen

Redistricting has been finalized in Pennsylvania and the partisan makeup for the 8th Congressional District has barely changed.

Nate Silver’s fivethirtyeight gave PA-8 a partisan rating of R+9 prior to redistricting and currently gives it a R+8 rating. The Cook Political Report says that the race is a Toss Up. President Trump beat Biden under the old 8th District map by 4.4% in 2020.

Ruling Prompts Pennsylvania Senate Legislation to Limit Court’s Redistricting Power

February 25, 2022February 24, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

One day after Wednesday’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision imposing a Democrat-favored congressional map, state Senator David Argall (R-Mahanoy City) is legislating to limit similar future rulings.

Argall, who chairs the Senate State Government Committee, has asked colleagues to cosponsor a measure disallowing any congressional-district plan ordered by a court to remain in effect after the election cycle for which it was enacted.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Picks Democrat-Favored Congressional Map

February 24, 2022February 23, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Democrats celebrated and Republicans demurred Wednesday after the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania Supreme Court selected the state’s new congressional map.

In so doing, the court overturned a decision earlier this month by Commonwealth Court Judge Patricia A. McCullough (R) to allow implementation of a redistricting plan passed by the GOP-led General Assembly but vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf (D). The initial version of the legislature-approved map was drawn by a private citizen, Amanda Holt of Lehigh County, though legislators modified her plan somewhat.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Considers Congressional Maps, Asked to Consider State-House Districts as Well

February 21, 2022February 20, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, deliberating over oral arguments made last Friday, will soon decide the congressional-district boundaries that apply in next year’s elections.

State House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Bellefonte) has meanwhile asked the court to strike down a newly enacted map containing districts for his own legislative chamber.

Commonwealth Court Judge Chooses Citizen-Drawn Congressional Map Favored by GOP Legislature

February 8, 2022February 7, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Because Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor and GOP-controlled legislature couldn’t agree on a congressional redistricting plan, a Commonwealth Court judge has stepped in and chosen one favored by the latter.

Judge Patricia A. McCullough (R), who was charged individually with selecting a new congressional map from among several proposed by state officials and nongovernmental actors, issued a 228-page report explaining her decision.

New York Officially Adopts New Congressional Lines that Could Axe Half the GOP Delegation

February 8, 2022February 7, 2022 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul late Thursday signed a new congressional map into law that could eliminate half of the state’s Republicans in the House.

The signing, reported by the Associated Press, comes just days after the state legislature advanced the map on near party lines. The map gives Democrats an advantage in 22 of the state’s 26 seats.

New Legislative Map that Aids Pennsylvania Democrats Is Finalized

February 7, 2022February 6, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s Legislative Redistricting Commission (LRC) on Friday finalized a new district map for state representatives that aids Democrats’ electability.

All three Democrats on the five-member LRC voted for the map, which is a modified version of a preliminary plan the same Democrats approved last month. Both Republicans voted against the plan.

Gov. Wolf Vetoes Pennsylvania Congressional Map

January 28, 2022January 27, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) vetoed a proposed new congressional-district map passed by the Republican-run state legislature.

The governor’s decision effectively turns over the selection of a new map to the state judiciary. The Republican-run Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has indicated it would intervene if Wolf and lawmakers failed to agree on how the new districts will be reshaped. But even if that court chooses the reapportionment plan passed by the General Assembly, Wolf’s party may ultimately get its way by appealing to the Democrat-controlled state Supreme Court.

New Congressional Map Passes Pennsylvania Senate; Wolf’s Veto Anticipated

January 25, 2022January 24, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

A proposed congressional map passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives earlier this month passed the state Senate unchanged on Monday, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

In urging colleagues to approve the redistricting plan, Senate State Government Committee Majority Chairman David Argall (R-Mahanoy City) emphasized that the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has insisted on enactment of a new map by January 30. The court has indicated it will select a map if Gov. Tom Wolf (D) does not sign one by that date.

Pennsylvania Legislature Must Pass, and Governor Must Sign, Congressional Map Monday to Meet Department’s Deadline

January 24, 2022January 23, 2022 Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s Republican-led state Senate and Gov. Tom Wolf (D) must approve a congressional map Monday in order to meet a deadline set by the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Last summer, then-Secretary of the Commonwealth Veronica Degraffenried (D) announced that her department wanted new congressional districts enacted before January 24 so election officials and candidates may adequately prepare for the May 17, 2022 primaries. Lawmakers redesign districts every decade according to population changes reflected in U.S. Census data, whose release last year stalled several months owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Population trends dictate that the Keystone State will lose one congressional district out of its present eighteen.

Analysis: States Where Unelected Bureaucrats Took over Redistricting Experienced Difficulties

December 29, 2021December 28, 2021 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

In Michigan, the state’s civil rights agency said proposed maps of legislative districts “do not measure up to the requirements of the law.” In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers complained about an “extreme partisan gerrymander.” And in Virginia, incumbents and potential challengers scrambled to work with proposed district maps.

In theory, new bureaucracies to draw up maps for congressional and legislative districts were supposed to save democracy from politics and block the practice of gerrymandering.

Pennsylvania Commission’s Redistricting Proposals Draw Ire for Gerrymandering

December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

After years of Pennsylvania Democrats excoriating Republicans for gerrymandering, the 2021 Legislative Reapportionment Commission’s state-level redistricting proposals are drawing ire from members of both parties.

Republicans have broadly opposed the preliminary redistricting plan for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and at least one Senate Democrat, Lisa Boscola (Bethlehem), is incensed about changes to her chamber’s map.

Largely Citizen-Drawn Congressional Map Passed by Pennsylvania House Committee

December 16, 2021December 16, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

By a nearly party-line vote of 14 to 11, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee voted Wednesday to advance a largely citizen-created map for congressional redistricting.

Lehigh County resident Amanda Holt submitted the map in its original form. The slightly modified version of the plan received the support of all committee Republicans except Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Macungie) and no Democrats.

Pennsylvania House Committee Releases Public-Drawn Congressional Redistricting Map

December 11, 2021December 10, 2021 The Center Square

The Pennsylvania House State Government Committee has unveiled a preliminary map for new congressional districts, selected from one of 19 submitted by the public.

Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, chair of the State Government Committee, said a map submitted by Lehigh County resident Amanda Holt was selected because it was crafted without political influence, met constitutional standards and limited splits of townships and municipalities, among other factors.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Okay Republican-Drawn Maps, Veto Coming

November 14, 2021November 13, 2021 The Center Square

The next step for Wisconsin’s new political map is a veto from Gov. Tony Evers.

The State Assembly, as expected, on Thursday approved the Republican-drawn maps on two party line votes.

North Carolina Adopts New Congressional Map That Favors Republicans

November 7, 2021November 6, 2021 Pennsylvania Daily Star Staff

The North Carolina General Assembly on Thursday finalized the state’s new U.S. House map that gives Republicans a distinct advantage over Democrats.

The map creates 10 safe Republican seats, three safe Democratic seats and one competitive seat, up from the current 8-5 map now. North Carolina is the only state where the legislature has full control over the redistricting process, meaning that the new lines can skirt what would be an all but certain veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and go into effect.