From Newsweek · · 2m
Redistricting Shifts 34.8m Americans Before Midterms
Partisan redistricting moved 34.8m Americans into new congressional districts ahead of November 2026 midterms.
In brief
Partisan redistricting moved 34.8m Americans into new congressional districts ahead of November 2026 midterms. 34.8 million Americans were reassigned to new congressional districts across nine states before the 2026 midterms due to partisan redistricting efforts. Originally reported by Newsweek.
Partisan redistricting battle
A partisan redistricting battle sparked by President Donald Trump moved an estimated 34.8 million Americans into new congressional districts across nine states ahead of the November 2026 midterms.
Protect Democracy analysis
Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan nonprofit group working to prevent American democracy from declining into authoritarianism, found roughly one in ten Americans placed in different congressional districts between 2024 and 2026.
Texas and California response
Texas recorded the largest reassigned population at more than 10.4 million, while Utah experienced the biggest proportional change with 69.1 percent placed in different districts.
Policy advocate warning
Ben Raderstorf, a policy advocate at Protect Democracy and co-author, warned that this trend questions whether elected officials represent constituents or if voters are randomly picked to squeeze out partisan advantage.
Policy strategist comment
Drew Penrose, Policy Strategist at Protect Democracy, said one in ten Americans has been reassigned to a different congressional district since 2024, with over a quarter of the electorate new in many districts.
Voter impact
New lines can leave voters evaluating candidates who did not appear on their previous ballot or represented another area during the last Congress.
Redistricting effects
At least eight sitting House members are seeking reelection in districts different from those in which they previously ran, with 26.3 percent of residents moved into another district.
Texas and California dynamics
Texas moved 10.448 million people, equivalent to 35.8 percent of its population, while California reassigned 9.214 million people, or 23.3 percent of its population.
Utah's proportional shift
Utah experienced the largest proportional change with 69.1 percent of its residents reassigned, nearly twice the rate in Texas and more than three times California's share.
What happens next
Officials in Georgia, Washington, Colorado, New York, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey have considered or signaled possible redraws before the 2028 elections.
The one thing
34.8 million Americans were reassigned to new congressional districts across nine states before the 2026 midterms due to partisan redistricting efforts.
