US Midterms 2026: A history of gerrymandering

Gerrymandering has a long history in the United States. Used by state-level lawmakers to influence national-level politics, the centuries-old practice is alive and well ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Gerrymandering refers to the redrawing of voter districts ahead of elections, in this case congressional ones, for partisan reasons. Each district represents a single seat in Congress. So, state lawmakers could disperse opposing voters across many voter districts to reduce their sway on the final outcome. Or, on the flip side, pack them all into one single district. The name comes from Massachusetts Governor and Founding Father, Elbridge Gerry, who in 1812 signed off on a bill which allowed for the creation of new voter districts that favored his party. One of the districts in question, which vaguely resembled a salamander, was quickly dubbed the Gerrymander. The name stuck. Now, the act of redrawing voter districts isn't always partisan. The process is carried out by independent committees in some states, while state legislatures are directly responsible for it in others. Redistricting, in theory, is meant to line up with data from the US Census, with the goal being to reflect changes in population each decade. It should ideally ensure voter discrimination is eliminated, keeping in line with the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. However, given that redistricting rules vary from state to state, gerrymandering has been observed in the run-up to many elections, often used by both parties to make sure incumbent lawmakers stay in their seats. But this escalated in 2025, when President Donald Trump asked Republicans in Texas to redraw district lines to win the party more seats in Congress. Democrats retaliated, with voters in California approving a one-time proposal to redraw congressional districts in a way that could win the party five more seats. Since then, nine states in total have successfully reshaped existing voter districts into new ones. Despite the gerrymandering gold rush, some researchers have projected that the changes would do very little to give either party definitive control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections on November 3rd. A study comparing districts redrawn in the 2020 voter cycle to a simulated, nonpartisan baseline found that, on average, Republicans were projected to win two more seats at the national level. Professor Kosuke Imai, one of the study's authors, said that, consequently, voters could feel less empowered at the ballot box. Through the gerrymandering, the electoral competition has decreased quite a bit. Yeah, if the elections aren't competitive, you know, then you feel like your votes won't count. To challenge this, grassroots movements in some states are working to create independent bodies that could take charge of drawing voter districts and limit partisan interference. Nonetheless, more than two centuries later, the gerrymander continues to cast its shadow over US politics.