Under court-ordered political maps, thousands of individuals have been added to and withdrawn from voting districts since most Americans last voted for Congress.
Assuming no big political movement in either major party, the redistricting calculations should give Republicans at least one seat in November's U.S. House elections. A congressional district redrawing attempt in New York might change the balance in favor of Democrats.
In Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and North Carolina, house borders based on the previous decennial census were revised again before the 2024 elections. New York may follow. A bipartisan group will modify New York's districts by Feb. 28.
Republicans have a 219-213 House edge over Democrats, with three GOP seats open. New York Rep. George Santos will be replaced in a Feb. 13 special election.
Before the November elections, here's how voting districts have changed or might change and how that could alter Congress's power
SOUTH SWINGS Alabama and Louisiana got new districts after a June Supreme Court verdict on minority voting rights. Black voters will have a higher chance of electing their candidate in two congressional districts in each state. In November, Democrats should gain one seat in Alabama and one in Louisiana.
A similar court verdict caused Georgia's Republican-led General Assembly to redistrict. However, the new design is unlikely to impact the state's nine Republican and five Democratic legislators.
Democratic wins in Alabama and Louisiana may be countered by Republican gains in North Carolina, where reconfigured districts might add three seats. The GOP-led General Assembly approved a more GOP-friendly plan in October after a new Republican majority on the state Supreme Court overturned Democratic-majority court judgments that had resulted in seven Democrats and seven Republicans winning seats in the 2022 elections.
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