President Donald Trump and Republicans have launched an unprecedented effort to redraw state congressional maps to help protect theparty’s narrow majority in the House ahead of the midterm elections in November.
Democrats have responded with redistricting efforts of their own, setting off a series of fights across the country — including in the courts — which will shape the midterm landscape and help determine control of Congress.
Most recently, the Virginia Supreme Courtallowed a statewide vote on a Democratic redistricting plan to proceed on April 21 while it considers an ongoing legal challenge. Even if voters allow the legislature to implement a new map, which targets four of the state’s five Republican House members, the Virginia Supreme Court could still strike down the plan after the election.
CNN is tracking new maps and will continue to update with new state developments.
Redistricting, or the process of redrawing congressional district boundaries, typically takes placejust once a decade, as states respond to updated population counts after thedecennial census.
But with a historically tight House of Representatives, redistricting has become a critical tactic to shaping the midterm races.
The redistricting process is different in every state. In some places, state legislators can redraw the map on their own, and all that’s needed is the political will. In other states, the redraw might require changing the constitution, a lengthier process which often involves a direct vote of the people.
Overall, Republicans have more opportunities to gain seats through new maps than Democrats do. Republicans have full control of government in more states and many Democratic states haveceded the map-drawing power to independent commissions, moves some of them are now trying to reverse.
Six out of the nine House members targeted by Republican-enacted maps across the country are Black or Latino.
2025 has already featured an unprecedented level of politically motivated mid-decade redistricting, but there could be even more in store. In many states, legal challenges aim to overturn existing maps. And at the Supreme Court,the justices may be poised to strike down key parts of the landmark Voting Rights Act, a decision which would open the floodgates to even more aggressive maps andimperil more seats held by people of color.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with additional information.
—CNN’s Molly English, Arit John and Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report. Photo Illustration by Alberto Mier/CNN/@SenatorBerger via X/California and Missouri state legislatures