Congressional Redistricting Goes Into Overdrive

California has confirmed that the idea of redrawing political maps only once a decade may be a thing of the past.

Voters there recently approved a plan to reconfigure the state’s congressional districts without waiting for a new census, following similar moves in other parts of the country.

At least a dozen states have already revised their maps or are considering doing so this year, while others await court decisions that could send them back to the drawing board. What was once a once-every-ten-years process is becoming a continuous cycle of redistricting.

John Bisognano of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee has called this trend “the era of perpetual redistricting” — an ongoing effort by both major parties to shape political boundaries ahead of each election.

Recent efforts have been driven in part by narrow congressional margins and a desire in many states to consolidate electoral advantages. States such as Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, California, Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois have all become focal points in this nationwide wave of mapmaking.

Adding to the uncertainty are legal and legislative developments, including a pending Supreme Court case that could affect minority-majority districts and proposals for more frequent population counts.

Historically, states redrew maps whenever they chose — or sometimes not at all — until Supreme Court rulings in the 1960s established the “one person, one vote” standard and effectively linked redistricting to the decennial census.

Today, technology has made the process faster and more accessible than ever; anyone with a computer can try their hand at drawing political boundaries.

Critics warn that constant redistricting could heighten polarization and erode public confidence.

“When you do it mid-decade, the entire purpose is to gain an advantage,” said Representative Kevin Kiley, a California Republican whose district was recently reshaped.

In the era of perpetual redistricting, fairness often depends on where you stand — and whose map you’re looking at.