Voters are caught in the middle as the redistricting battle intensifies

"“The biggest impact on voters is confusion,” Piper said. “'Where do I go vote? Who is even my elected representative? Or, which district am I even in?'... There's the potential for them to not know who they're voting for.”"

"“We're stuck in a zero-sum battle in which the parties are trying to maximize their power by manipulating the rules,” said Nick Troiano, executive director of Unite America, a group that pushes for reforms to primary election systems. “The collateral damage is the everyday voter who just wants to have a say in who gets to represent them and to have the ability to hold them accountable.”"

"“After more than two decades working in elections, including four years as Virginia's top voting official, it takes a lot to surprise Chris Piper. But the frenzied redistricting battle of the past few months including a congressional map in his home state thrown out by a court after people voted to approve it, and certain elections postponed in Louisiana and Alabama after mail ballots already went out has done it.”"

"“Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority severely neutered the Voting Rights Act, and various Republican-led states in the South have since moved to draw more seats that favor the GOP. The Supreme Court decision struck down a Louisiana congressional map, a”"

A long-serving elections official says recent redistricting and election disruptions have been unlike anything voters have experienced. Court actions have thrown out a congressional map after voters approved it, and elections in Louisiana and Alabama were postponed after mail ballots had already been sent. The main harm to voters is confusion about where to vote, who represents them, and which district they are in, raising the risk that people will not know who they are voting for. Voting experts and advocates warn that the focus on party control produces collateral damage, including discarded votes and diminished voting power. Legal rulings have weakened the Voting Rights Act and enabled states to draw maps favoring the GOP, further reshaping the election landscape.

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