Perspectives: How Partisan Redistricting Will Influence the Next Decade of US Politics

States and legislators across the country are hard at work on manipulating their election district maps. How will that shape the next ten years of partisan politics?

Every 10 years, each state redraws its political lines based on the U.S. Census data. These redistricting processes — which are known as gerrymandering when they favor one party — take months to complete and heavily influence the balance of power in Congress for a decade. In Texas and Ohio, the redrawn maps are expected to boost Republicans, who control the redistricting process in those states. In Illinois and Maryland, where Democrats oversee the redrawing of maps, their party is expected to benefit from the redistricting process. Forty-four states are redrawing maps this year — the remaining six only have one seat in the House of Representatives, so redistricting is unnecessary.

Outlets across the spectrum have highlighting the ongoing redistricting process. Coverage on all sides pointed out how state maps drawn by an independent commission generally receive much higher grades for fairness than maps drawn by partisan state lawmakers. Some coverage from right-rated sources highlighted controversy surrounding Maryland's map. One writer for National Review (Right bias) condemned the partisan methods of redistricting, and was joined by other voices across the spectrum in calling for the entire process to be rethought. Updated 12/15/21 at 2:59 p.m. ET to be clearer about the distinction between redistricting and gerrymandering.