In Kansas and elsewhere, some state lawmakers are skeptical of the redistricting rush

"But even in a state that went for Trump by 16 percentage points in 2024, Republicans could not rally enough support this fall for a special session on redistricting. "I haven't heard a good reason yet to vote for it," said Mark Schreiber, one of 10 Republican holdouts in the Kansas state House. "To me that's not the purpose of redistricting. It's not used as a political tool to increase your majority, it's to adjust for population changes.""

"Last week, California voters approved new districts favoring Democrats. But Kansas' false start was just one example of lawmakers pushing back against a new round of partisan gerrymanders. Republicans in Indiana and Democrats in Maryland have faced scorn from party leaders for speaking out against proposed redraws. And in Ohio, where many expected Republicans to enact a severe gerrymander, a bipartisan deal resulted in a map that moderately advantaged the GOP."

"Why do some lawmakers oppose redistricting that would help their party? Lawmakers' reasons for bucking their party leaders appear to vary widely, including those who object to gerrymandering on philosophical grounds and some who simply fear the maneuvers could backfire. "The particulars might be a little idiosyncratic to every state," said Patrick Miller, a political science professor at Kent State University in Ohio."

Kansas Republican leaders sought new congressional maps to aid GOP control of the U.S. House but failed to secure a fall special session as 10 state House Republicans withheld support. Mark Schreiber said he had not heard a good reason to vote for redistricting and that redistricting should adjust for population changes rather than increase a majority. Other Republican-led states including Missouri, North Carolina and Texas adopted new maps to boost GOP representation while California voters approved districts favoring Democrats. Lawmakers in Indiana and Maryland faced criticism for opposing partisan redraws, and Ohio reached a bipartisan map that moderately advantaged Republicans. Objections stem from philosophical opposition to gerrymandering, fears of political backlash, filing-deadline constraints and high redrawing costs.

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