Congress Must Set Fair Redistricting Standards For Congressional Districts

The Nation Is Entering a Gerrymandering Free-For-All State lawmakers across the country are now redrawing congressional districts not once a decade, but repeatedly - each time an election nears. What was once a decennial process after the census has become a continuous power struggle. Both parties are locked in a race to manipulate maps before 2026, erasing the neutrality that once anchored our democracy. Experts warn that this spiral could make fair elections impossible and drive voters into lasting cynicism. A Constitutional Crisis That Congress Alone Can Solve Article I, Section 4 gives Congress the authority to set national standards for congressional elections. Yet since the Supreme Court’s Rucho decision declared partisan gerrymandering non-justiciable, states have been left to redraw lines at will. Some now override independent commissions, while others use mid-decade redistricting to entrench their majority. Without federal guardrails, the nation faces an endless cycle of map manipulation. A Comprehensive Federal Remedy Is Urgently Needed Congress should enact legislation that - • Requires independent citizen-based commissions to draw all congressional districts; • Restores and strengthens the Voting Rights Act to prevent racial and partisan abuse; • Imposes measurable standards for compactness, contiguity, and partisan fairness; and • Prohibits mid-decade redistricting except after the national census. Such a law would not favor one party - it would favor the Constitution. It would protect communities whose representation is now at risk and prevent the disappearance of minority districts across the South if the Voting Rights Act is further weakened. Preserving Democracy’s Legitimacy If Congress fails to act, voters will face shifting districts every election cycle and a House increasingly detached from the people it serves. Please move swiftly to establish nationwide fair-mapping standards and end this accelerating race to the bottom.