First came Congress. Now a national redistricting battle may turn to statehouses and city councils
Source: Scripps News/AP
Posted 12:43 PM, Jun 07, 2026
After a blitz of congressional redistricting ahead of the midterm elections, a national battle for partisan control is about to enter a new phase that could affect representation on everything from tax rates to social safety net programs, teacher salaries, housing regulations and local road repairs.
Georgia's Republican-led Legislature will convene June 17 for a special session focused on redistricting for the 2028 elections. The agenda includes new voting districts not only for Congress, but also for the state House and Senate and potentially even the state's utility regulatory commission.
It will mark the first time since a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakened minority voting protections that a state legislature will attempt to redraw its own districts. Mississippi Republicans and New York Democrats also could undertake legislative redistricting before their 2027 and 2028 elections, respectively.
Ir remains to be seen, though, how many legislatures will follow, and whether the outburst of mid-decade redistricting will extend down to county commissions, city councils and school boards that make myriad decisions affecting people's lives. The impact could be widespread. The stakes here are not political, they are deeply human, said Joe Kennedy III, founder of Groundwork Project, a nonprofit that supports local civil rights and democracy organizations.
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/first-came-congress-now-a-national-redistricting-battle-may-turn-to-statehouses-and-city-councils