Redistricting & Census Tampering
2006
2006-06-28 Courts ruled that States can redistrict as many times as they want (see Leage of United Latin American Citizens v Perry, Governor of Texas).
https://thearp.org/litigation/league-united-american-latin-citizens-v-perry/
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/mid-decade-redistricting
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF13082
2013
2013-06-25 Courts tossed out a rule in the Voting Rights Act that would require states with an extensive history of racial discrimination to submit any changes in their election policies or maps to the federal government for advance review before putting them into effect (see Shelby County, Alabama v. Holder, Attorney General).
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/preclearance-under-voting-rights-act
https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1129&context=lawjournalonline
https://www.facebook.com/reel/940517798780271
https://x.com/VanJones68/status/2049667941826806033
2019
2019-06-17 SCOTUS ruled that federal courts couldn’t stop states from drawing lines on a partisan basis and had no authority to resolve partisan gerrymandering claims (see Rucho v. Common Cause).
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/18pdf/18-422_9ol1.pdf
https://www.commoncause.org/work/common-cause-v-rucho/
2021
2021-01-04 Democrats introduced the For The People/Freedom to Vote Act, but it was blocked by a filibuster in June. The bill included anti-gerrymandering provisions.
https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/the-freedom-to-vote-act-unpacked/
2024
2024-04-05 An article reads “You have imprisoned our democracy: inside Republican’s domination of Tennessee”.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/05/tennessee-republicans-one-party-state
2024-11-15 Republicans rejected a ballot measure to strip lawmakers from being able to manipulate electoral districts with partisan gerrymandering tactics.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/15/electoral-reform-ballot-measures
2025 January
2025-01-20 Trump rescinded Executive Order 13986 Ensuring a Lawful and Accurate Enumeration and Apportionment Pursuant to the Decennial Census
2025 August
2025-08-05 Republicans started redistricting to gain more Republican seats ahead of the midterms.
2025-08-07 Representative Andy Ogles out of Tennessee reposted a tweet from Trump, “I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024. People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS…”
2025-08-12 While on The Will Cain Show James Talarico of Texas addressed Republican redistricting, “My party has never gerrymandered in the middle of a decade at the request of the President of the United States, nor would we. The only way this is going to happen in Blue States is if Texas executes this power grab. You mentioned Massachusetts. Do you know the party of the governor that signed that map into law? He was a Republican”. After this comment the news anchor investigating Talarico stated the show ran out of time and ended the interview.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-democrats-on-air-clash-with-fox-host-rages-online/
2025-08-13 Ohio announced plans to redistrict.
2025-08-14 Texas, California, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Illinois, Indiana, and Florida all announced upcoming plans to redistrict.
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/14/nx-s1-5501537/texas-california-gerrymandering-redistricting
2025-08-23 Texas redistricted their map ahead of the midterms, adding 5 Republican seats.
2025-08-28 Trump pressured Indiana to redistrict for more Republican seats. Indiana Governor Mike Braun stated on WOWO radio, “If we try to drag our feet as a state on it, probably, we’ll have consequences of not working with the Trump administration as tightly as we should”.
2025-08-29 Missouri issued a press release about their plan to redistrict.
2025 September
2025-09-10 Missouri passed redistricting.
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/12/nx-s1-5537977/redistricting-midterms-trump-missouri
2025 November
2025-11-04 After California passed proposition 50 to counter Texas redistricting, Trump posted on social media calling the election “rigged” and stating that ballots were “under illegal and criminal review”. During a press conference journalists asked Leavitt about any evidence supporting the claims. She responded both that the accusations of fraud were “absolutely true” and “just a fact” and stated the White House was currently working on an executive order to stop alleged fraud.
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-11-04/la-me-prop-50-trump-scam
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115492361756063244
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115492285081397189
2025-11-05 Proposition 50 passed in California. Mamdani won the mayoral election in New York. Several states gained Democratic seats during this election including Georgia, New Jersey and Virginia.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/election-day-2025-voting-results/
2025-11-17 A federal judge ruled that Texas substantially racially gerrymandered in their redistricting efforts.
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/federal-court-blocks-texas-gerrymander/
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/trump-redistricting-push-texas-map-00658144
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5604412/redistricting-midterm-election-texas
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/texas-congressional-redistricting-maps
https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/federal-court-stops-texass-2025-redistricting-map/
2025 December
2025-12-02 Indiana proposed a new redistricting map which some claimed was politically gerrymandered.
https://www.aclu-in.org/campaigns-initiatives/fair-redistricting-indiana/
2025-12-04 The Supreme Court decided to grant a stay in Texas to allow Texas to use the redrawn congressional map for the 2026 mid-term elections.
https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/supreme-court-grants-stay-in-texas-redistricting-case/
2025-12-11 After Indiana legislature rejected the new map the Heritage Foundation made threats to withhold funding via X.
https://x.com/Heritage_Action/status/1999141506473509071
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/12/indiana-voting-map-republicans-trump
2026 February
2026-02-03 The Supreme Court allowed California to proceed with redistricting despite Republican pushback that redistricting is “unfair”.
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/05/supreme-court-lets-california-use-its-new-congressional-map/
2026 March
2026-03-31 Trump signed an executive order instructing DHS to gather a voters list and the USPS to transmit ballots, thereby nationalizing elections, burdening the postal service, complicating mail voting, and suppressing turnout.
https://www.npr.org/2026/03/31/nx-s1-5508948/trump-voter-list-mail-ballots-executive-order
https://coloradosun.com/2026/04/01/trump-signs-executive-order-in-hope-of-tightening-mail-in-voting/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/31/trump-order-election-voting-explainer
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/us/politics/trump-mail-in-ballots-voting-executive-order.html
2026 April
2026-04-21 Democrats in Virginia won additional seats and the Fox network claimed the win was a “gerrymander scheme”.
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/21/democrats-win-redistricting-virginia-00885917
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/virginia-congress-midterms-trump/686895/
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trump-bold-option-counter-virginias-new-gerrymander-scheme
EDUCATIONAL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibb0Bg-RB8M&list=WL&index=2
2026-04-29 SCOTUS struck down a Louisiana redistricting map by a vote of 6-3. SCOTUS also destroyed key voting rights provisions in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which was originally designed to outlaw discriminatory voting practices that would disenfranchise Black voters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anVvwhRtSAo&list=WL&index=2&t=128s
2026-04-29 SCOTUS ruled that anyone challenging a congressional map could only prevail if they had strong evidence the State intentionally drew its districts to afford minority voters less opportunity.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-109_21o3.pdf
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyw3p7xv4wo
2026-04-30 Trump urged Tennessee to redistrict to gain more Republican seats.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5857661-trump-redistricting-tennessee-congress/
https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/05/01/marsha-blackburn-trump-redistricting-nashville-east-bank/
2026-04-30 Louisiana suspended congressional primaries so they could redraw their maps.
2026 May
2026-05-03 Alabama Governor Kay Ivey called a special session to redraw the state’s congressional map and revert back to one that would eliminate a Democrat-held seat, creating a 7-0 Republican delegation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQz5EsQE8Pc
2026-05-04 Mississippi and Florida called a special session to redraw state districting maps to gain favor with Republicans and disenfranchise Black voters.
https://mississippitoday.org/2026/05/04/old-capitol-mississippi-redistricting/
https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/desantis-signs-gerrymandered-florida-map-into-law/
2026-05-05 Even after Louisiana received more than 42,000 absentee ballots the governor declared a state of emergency and suspended the election so new maps could be drawn. The new map eliminated one of two majority Black districts.
2026-05-06 After Tennessee divided up Memphis into three districts, Tennessee Republicans insisted they were unaware they were disenfranchising Black voters. When Senator Lamar asked Senator Stevens if he was aware that Memphis is predominantly African American, he said he was not aware.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5G0YmyaCva4
TIMESTAMP 15:34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9U71_dAEC8&t=6s
2026-05-07 When Alabama called for a special session to redraw its maps, it forced a vote while people were actively evacuating during a tornado warning.
https://newrepublic.com/post/210063/alabama-republicans-vote-gerrymander-state-tornado-sirens-flood
2026-05-07 Trump pressured South Carolina to start their redistricting process. Not the will of the people – the will of Trump.
https://thehill.com/homenews/5868640-clyburn-trump-sc-redistricting/
https://scdailygazette.com/2026/05/07/house-gop-releases-white-house-map-of-sc-voting-lines/
2026-05-07 Tennessee approved a new congressional map that breaks up a majority-black city into three Republican-leaning districts.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/07/politics/tennessee-redistricting-republicans-steve-cohen-us-house
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/07/nx-s1-5815023/tennessee-redistricting-map-passage
2026-05-08 The Virgina Supreme Court blocked a new Congressional map that would help Democrats counter Republican power grabs ahead of the midterms.
https://www.npr.org/2026/05/08/nx-s1-5805193/redistricting-virginia-trump-midterms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HisWQVg5WC4&list=WL&index=2
2026-05-26 A federal court blocked the Alabama House map calling it unfair to Black voters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjhHbZ8SrdA&list=WL&index=7&t=77s
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/26/alabama-new-congressional-map-struck-down
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/court-alabama-congressional-district-midterms/
2026-05-27 South Carolina Senate rejected the GOP attempt to eliminate the last-standing Democratic district after 12 Republicans joined Democrats to vote against it. Representative Jim Clyburn stated, “The people who drew that map – some of them may not have ever set foot in South Carolina – this White House says to hell with the process – to hell with the Constitution”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHxpk7KLxeE&list=WL&index=2&t=92s
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/26/politics/south-carolina-senate-redistricting-jim-clyburn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/26/south-carolina-republicans-redistricting
2026-05-29 Louisiana lawmakers approved a map to eliminate a majority Black district.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doWnEQ1pIZw&list=WL&index=5
2026 June
2026-06-17 Georgia lawmakers reversed a decision to gerrymander after civil rights activists pushed against the effort to disenfranchise Black voters.