The Texas Senate gave final approval to a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map early Saturday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.
President Donald Trump has pushed for the map to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. It has five new districts that would favor Republicans.
Abbott, a Republican, is expected to quickly sign it into law, though Democrats have vowed to challenge it in court.
The effort by Trump and Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature prompted state Democrats to hold a two-week walkout and kicked off a wave of redistricting efforts across the country.
I’ve seen a lot about how this new map favours republicans, but little of the map itself and why it’s absurd.
Note, I’ll readily believe that it’s gerrymandered to hell and back, I’d just like to understand what they’re doing to it.
Here’s a breakdown by CNN comparing present and proposed districts.
These look to be the most egregious changes:
Here’s a model on how gerrymandering works for anyone that needs it.
A huge advantage of gerrymandering is after they do it, one would need to wait a few election cycles to build the evidence of the voter suppression, and by then the government can be packed with people supporting the suppression anyway.
That bottom map looks like someone stepped on Iraq.
I didn’t expect anyone to make me laugh on this topic, so congrats!
Honestly these types of maps always have something to laugh at, when faced with the inability to act it is best to laugh rather than stew in rage and misery.
I’ve been giving it my best. I keep learning more history to see even this is nothing really new. I get more disappointed that we never learn for long.
I’d laugh at how absurd this whole thing is, if it wasn’t so decadent…
Thanks for sharing
My pleasure. It’s a big disappointment to me that with a story this consequential and as many news outlets as we have, that people really have to search out stuff this basic. The pictures make it instantly clear what is going on and why.
I am also concerned with migrant detention being used to do what is known as prison gerrymandering, especially with Trump trying to hold a mid decade census which has never been done. I see no other reason to do such an undertaking while cutting aid.
TBF, it’s been pretty secret even for those that voted on it. They really don’t want anyone looking at it until it’s too late.
Stuff like slicing Austin and Houston into pieces that extend WAY out into the rural areas, to lump in sufficient red votes to drown out the blue of the cities.