August 28, 2025 • 6 mins
While it remains to be seen how many of the greater than 30 states that could redraw maps to attempt to extract a greater partisan advantage, what’s clear is that there will be more than just California and Texas attempting to redraw congressional maps mid-decade.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
I have a question or topic you want to have addressed.
Just ask. This is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
In today's queue and ay, how redistorting is determined? This
brought to you by listen ashes check mark collections. Each
day I feature a listener questions and by one of
these methods. You may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia
dot com, hit me up on social at Brian Mud
Radio me. Also use the iHeartRadio talk back feature.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We love it.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
If you'd love us, just go into the app. Make
us your number one pre set. While you're in there,
look for the Brian Mud Show podcast. Make that your
number two pre set and you'll see a little microphone button.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
You see it, you tap it.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You may lay down a message right there, maybe for
a future Q and A just like this one.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hey, good morning, Brian.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Thanks for the information yesterday regarding the redistricting. But what
is the difference between Texas doing it and other states
doing it? That's what I'm confused about. Thank you for
all the valuable information you provide.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, thank you for being there. Appreciate it. So Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
On Monday, in my Top three Takeaways, I brought you
this that there are currently thirty eight states, including Florida,
with one party rule, and of those thirty eight states,
twenty three y are led by the GOP, with only
fifteen governed by Democrats. And what's more is that when
accounting for population, the current political makeup congressionally, and what
may be able to be achieved, if both parties pushed
(01:23):
for the maximum advantage in the thirty eight states, the
GOP would win big. Republicans would have a net eleven
seed jerry mandering advantage in the House, so that's worth
keeping in mind as this plays out.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
However, it's going.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
To is that if both parties play this game, Republicans
have the upper hand, while it remains to be seen
if we will have effectively all states with one party
rules seek to maximize redistricting for their political party. The
first two states to act legislatively, California and Texas, illustrate
the differences in process and policy for districting within states.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Here's how the process works.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Each state is responsible for its drawing of its own
congressional and state legislative district boundaries without direct input from
the federal government. The process varies by state, so in
theory you could have as many as fifty different processes,
though some low population states only have one congressional representative,
(02:26):
so it's a moot.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Point we're talking about congressional redistricting. But generally.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
These are your three steps, and at least one of
these three is used in every state you have legislative control.
In most states, the state legislature draws and approves new
district maps subject to the governor's approval or veto. And
this is the process that for example, states like Florida
(02:53):
and Texas use, so the legislature proposes maps the governor
can sign or veto. States use independent commissions. Those states
include Arizona, California, and Iowa, and the independent redistricting commissions
are there to theoretic theoretically reduced partisan bias. These commissions
(03:13):
are composed of citizens or appointed officials. They draw maps
based on public input and previously established criteria. Now this
is actually the process that California Democrats voted on ending
last week, as they're attempting to bypass the independent commission
temporarily through a voter referendum so that they can then
(03:34):
gerrymanner their state's congressional maps as they see fit. New
York also has one of these independent commissions. However, THEIRS
is in binding. The state legislature can override the commission's recommendations,
so that has become a largely ineffectual body. You also
have other variations like Ohio, for example, they don't have
(03:56):
what they call an independent commission, but they have a
bipartisan commission and they have an even number of Democrats
and Republicans on that commission. Then you have advisory or
backup commissions. A few states use advisory commissions to recommend
maps to the legislature or backup commissions if the state
legislature fails to be able to come together on a map.
(04:19):
As for the criteria for redistricting, where there is a
federal mandate, it is this There are three guidelines that
must be followed by all states in a congressional redistricting process.
There must be equal population, so districts must have roughly
equal populations currently the number of people per congressional district
(04:42):
in the United States seven hundred and eighty thousand. They
must be compliant with the Voting Rights Act, so maps
must avoid diluting the voting power of racial or ethnic minorities.
And there must be continuity, so districts must be geograp
ethically connected. You can't have, for example, one spot on
(05:04):
the map in a state and then another spot on
the map and another part of the state and go
that's the same district. Can't do that now, because federal
law only says they have to be connected. It doesn't
mean you can't have a big splotch on the map
and then like a squiggling line that comes off of it,
you know, and go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That can happen, that does happen.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So the process for approval you have public input and transparency.
Many states hold public hearings or solicit input on proposed maps.
Some require maps to be published for a review before
final approval transparency laws they vary by state, and as
for approval, once map is proposed, it is voted on
(05:48):
by the legislature or approved by the commission. If the
governor veto's a legislative map, negotiations or courts may intervene.
In some cases, courts draw maps if the process stalls. Now,
that is not a dynamic that would come into play here,
because that is only in the case of a census
where you must have redistricting. Because any redistricting is taking
(06:11):
place mid decade is by choice, there would not be
a need for a court to step in and produce
a map. If states failed on the process, they'd just
stayed with their existing map until after the next census.
So we'll likely be seeing and hearing much more about
all this in the coming months, including in Florida's These
state legislatures formally begun studying redistricting in the state in
the advance of next year's midterm elections. And while it
(06:33):
remains to be seeing how many of the greater than
thirty states could redraw maps attempt to exact a greater
partison advantage, what is clear is that it is going
to be more than just California and Texas attempting to
redraw congressional maps mid decade
I have a question or topic you want to have addressed.
Just ask. This is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
In today's queue and ay, how redistorting is determined? This
brought to you by listen ashes check mark collections. Each
day I feature a listener questions and by one of
these methods. You may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia
dot com, hit me up on social at Brian Mud
Radio me. Also use the iHeartRadio talk back feature.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
We love it.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
If you'd love us, just go into the app. Make
us your number one pre set. While you're in there,
look for the Brian Mud Show podcast. Make that your
number two pre set and you'll see a little microphone button.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
You see it, you tap it.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You may lay down a message right there, maybe for
a future Q and A just like this one.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hey, good morning, Brian.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Thanks for the information yesterday regarding the redistricting. But what
is the difference between Texas doing it and other states
doing it? That's what I'm confused about. Thank you for
all the valuable information you provide.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, thank you for being there. Appreciate it. So Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
On Monday, in my Top three Takeaways, I brought you
this that there are currently thirty eight states, including Florida,
with one party rule, and of those thirty eight states,
twenty three y are led by the GOP, with only
fifteen governed by Democrats. And what's more is that when
accounting for population, the current political makeup congressionally, and what
may be able to be achieved, if both parties pushed
(01:23):
for the maximum advantage in the thirty eight states, the
GOP would win big. Republicans would have a net eleven
seed jerry mandering advantage in the House, so that's worth
keeping in mind as this plays out.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
However, it's going.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
To is that if both parties play this game, Republicans
have the upper hand, while it remains to be seen
if we will have effectively all states with one party
rules seek to maximize redistricting for their political party. The
first two states to act legislatively, California and Texas, illustrate
the differences in process and policy for districting within states.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Here's how the process works.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Each state is responsible for its drawing of its own
congressional and state legislative district boundaries without direct input from
the federal government. The process varies by state, so in
theory you could have as many as fifty different processes,
though some low population states only have one congressional representative,
(02:26):
so it's a moot.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
Point we're talking about congressional redistricting. But generally.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
These are your three steps, and at least one of
these three is used in every state you have legislative control.
In most states, the state legislature draws and approves new
district maps subject to the governor's approval or veto. And
this is the process that for example, states like Florida
(02:53):
and Texas use, so the legislature proposes maps the governor
can sign or veto. States use independent commissions. Those states
include Arizona, California, and Iowa, and the independent redistricting commissions
are there to theoretic theoretically reduced partisan bias. These commissions
(03:13):
are composed of citizens or appointed officials. They draw maps
based on public input and previously established criteria. Now this
is actually the process that California Democrats voted on ending
last week, as they're attempting to bypass the independent commission
temporarily through a voter referendum so that they can then
(03:34):
gerrymanner their state's congressional maps as they see fit. New
York also has one of these independent commissions. However, THEIRS
is in binding. The state legislature can override the commission's recommendations,
so that has become a largely ineffectual body. You also
have other variations like Ohio, for example, they don't have
(03:56):
what they call an independent commission, but they have a
bipartisan commission and they have an even number of Democrats
and Republicans on that commission. Then you have advisory or
backup commissions. A few states use advisory commissions to recommend
maps to the legislature or backup commissions if the state
legislature fails to be able to come together on a map.
(04:19):
As for the criteria for redistricting, where there is a
federal mandate, it is this There are three guidelines that
must be followed by all states in a congressional redistricting process.
There must be equal population, so districts must have roughly
equal populations currently the number of people per congressional district
(04:42):
in the United States seven hundred and eighty thousand. They
must be compliant with the Voting Rights Act, so maps
must avoid diluting the voting power of racial or ethnic minorities.
And there must be continuity, so districts must be geograp
ethically connected. You can't have, for example, one spot on
(05:04):
the map in a state and then another spot on
the map and another part of the state and go
that's the same district. Can't do that now, because federal
law only says they have to be connected. It doesn't
mean you can't have a big splotch on the map
and then like a squiggling line that comes off of it,
you know, and go somewhere.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That can happen, that does happen.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So the process for approval you have public input and transparency.
Many states hold public hearings or solicit input on proposed maps.
Some require maps to be published for a review before
final approval transparency laws they vary by state, and as
for approval, once map is proposed, it is voted on
(05:48):
by the legislature or approved by the commission. If the
governor veto's a legislative map, negotiations or courts may intervene.
In some cases, courts draw maps if the process stalls. Now,
that is not a dynamic that would come into play here,
because that is only in the case of a census
where you must have redistricting. Because any redistricting is taking
(06:11):
place mid decade is by choice, there would not be
a need for a court to step in and produce
a map. If states failed on the process, they'd just
stayed with their existing map until after the next census.
So we'll likely be seeing and hearing much more about
all this in the coming months, including in Florida's These
state legislatures formally begun studying redistricting in the state in
the advance of next year's midterm elections. And while it
(06:33):
remains to be seeing how many of the greater than
thirty states could redraw maps attempt to exact a greater
partison advantage, what is clear is that it is going
to be more than just California and Texas attempting to
redraw congressional maps mid decade
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