How Is Mid-Decade Redistricting Upending the Midterms? Send Us Your Questions.
Ask us about the states that are pursuing new congressional maps, how the looming threat to the VRA could affect districts further, and what it all means for 2026.
| December 4, 2025
Redistricting is on the political agenda of state governments all over the country this year, an unusual trend for the middle of a decade. Spurred by President Trump, Texas adopted a new congressional map this summer that is poised to shift five seats to Republicans, and other GOP-led states including Missouri, North Carolina, Florida, and Indiana have followed suit or may do so soon. Democratic-led California responded with an unprecedented referendum to redesign its voting map to try and offset those GOP gains, which Virginia may also attempt in 2026.
Meanwhile, lawsuits have sparked further upheaval: Just last month, Utah courts threw out a GOP gerrymander and a panel of federal judges briefly blocked Texas’ new maps until the Supreme Court stepped in to temporarily pause the ruling. And the Supreme Court is now poised to rule at any moment on another major case that could undermine majority-minority districts by further eroding the Voting Rights Act and gutting its enforcement powers.
All this means that, as we enter a major election year that will decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress, many of the rules determining how these elections will play out feel uncertain.
At Bolts, we figured you’d have questions about what’s going on and what to expect in 2026—and we want you to send them to us.
We’ll do our best to answer them and help you make sense of the redistricting madness as part of our series “Ask Bolts.” Are you wondering where this confused situation leaves the battle for Congress? Or what states can still jump into the fray? Are you curious how ongoing lawsuits may affect states’ efforts?
Let us know below by December 10th. And remember: No question is too in the weeds for Bolts!