The redistricting fight is far from over

[TexasTowelie]

by Saumya Narechania


It’s no secret that the results in down-ballot races didn’t quite mirror the success that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had for their party at the top of the ticket. But far too many political reporters and pundits view the lack of gains in the 2020 election as a death knell for fair maps, instead of a reflection of where this year’s competitive races played out: in the toughest and most gerrymandered districts. They write that the results should have Republicans celebrating and Democrats reflecting, but few seem interested in what this actually means for voters. The headlines and kicker quotes indicate that gerrymandered districts are a foregone conclusion:

Mother Jones: “[Democrats] won the White House but failed to flip state houses. The upcoming redistricting process will be brutal.”

The Atlantic: “The Failure That Could Haunt Democrats for a Decade”

POLITICO: “It’s entirely possible that redistricting alone creates enough red-friendly seats to place Republicans in the majority in 2022.”

Far from it. These takes ignore the fact that in the vast majority of states, the redistricting process hasn’t started yet. No lines have been drawn. No maps exist. The cake’s not baked. We know what the ingredients are — but that might even be a stretch. We know who some of the map drawers are — legislatures have been elected, but committees haven’t all been formed. In only some instances, we know what rules will govern drawing those maps — but again, committee and amendment rules aren’t fully decided. And in some states, we know that the public will be afforded an opportunity to engage, but not how all map-drawing bodies will solicit public comment given the pandemic. There’s still so much we don’t know for certain — including which states will gain or lose congressional seats based on census data.

Read more: https://texassignal.com/op-ed-the-redistricting-fight-is-far-from-over/