The Florida legislature has begun committee meetings ahead of the official start of the legislative session in January 2026. In addition to the normal committees associated with education, affordable housing, and so on, House Speaker Perez has appointed a House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.

 

Redistricting is the process of creating maps that determine the boundaries of electoral districts, both for Congress and state legislatures. Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the completion of the U.S. Census.

 

In 2010, an overwhelming 63% of Florida voters approved the inclusion of the Fair Districts Amendments in the state constitution. The purpose was to curb partisan gerrymandering of electoral districts.

 

The term "gerrymandering" dates back to 1812, when Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry enacted a redistricting plan that included a district that many considered a salamander, thus earning the nickname "gerrymander." A political party uses partisan gerrymandering to draw maps that secure it a disproportionate share of seats. This isn't unique to one party—both do it!

 

The Fair Districts Amendments require that district lines: 1) not be drawn to favor one political party over another; 2) not be drawn to disadvantage the voting power of racial or linguistic minorities; and 3) be contiguous.

 

During the redistricting process following the 2010 and 2020 U.S. Censuses, the Legislature violated these Fair Districts Amendments. The League of Women Voters of Florida and its coalition partners sued the Legislature over the 2012 congressional map for violating these Amendments and won. A new map was drawn, resulting in more congressional seats representing minority Black and Hispanic voters.

 

The League and its partners filed a new lawsuit in 2022, after the Florida Legislature deprived Black voters of fair representation by eliminating a majority-Black congressional district in North Florida. Unfortunately, the League was unsuccessful in that lawsuit.

 

In 2025, the Governor is pushing the Legislature to draw new congressional maps before the end of the decade simply to gain more Republican seats. This will drastically affect Southeast Florida, as five of the eight Democratic congressional seats are located in southern Palm Beach County, all of Broward County, and northern Miami-Dade County.

 

If redistricting is allowed mid-decade, what will stop the Legislature from doing it every two years? This time, they're focusing on Congressional districts. What will stop the Legislature from focusing on state Senate and House districts? The result will be confusion for voters and significant costs for counties in implementing these maps.

 

The League urges voters to tell their state representatives to simply say “no” to mid-decade redistricting.