Key facts
- New York Democrats introduced a redistricting measure.
- The measure could add four House seats to the Democratic delegation by 2028.
- The proposal aims to simplify mid-decade redistricting.
- The amendment could make it easier for Democrats to create districts favoring their candidates.
- Virginia Democrats attempted to push through a partisan map, which was ruled unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court.
New York Democrats have introduced a redistricting measure that could potentially add four House seats to the party's congressional delegation by 2028. This follows a previous unsuccessful attempt to redraw voting districts earlier this year. The current proposal centers on a constitutional amendment designed to facilitate mid-decade redistricting and enable its passage with a simple majority vote. The official language of the proposed amendment released late Monday would make it easier for Democrats, who've controlled both houses for much of the last decade, to ram through new congressional district lines meant to favor their candidates by cordoning out certain voters.
In Virginia, Democrats attempted to push through a partisan redistricting map that would have resulted in a 10-1 split of Republican districts, despite 47% of voters casting ballots for Republican candidates. This effort bypassed a bipartisan commission and violated several constitutional rules, including posting requirements and the need for an intervening election. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled the effort unconstitutional, but Democrats, including House Speaker Don Scott and Attorney General Jay Jones, filed an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the ruling "unprecedented and undemocratic." The article suggests this behavior indicates a broader trend within the Democratic Party of prioritizing winning at any cost over following established rules. The author argues that gerrymandering is not a solution to the Democrats' underlying problem of losing voters, citing migration to well-run red states and projected electoral vote shifts by 2030.