In the United States, the election system, dubbed "the flower of democracy," is being shaken to its roots. President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have resorted to the foul tactic of "gerrymandering" to secure victory in the 2026 midterm elections. An overt attempt at redistricting that began in South Texas is spreading across the country to places like Missouri in the Midwest and Maryland in the East.
On the 3rd (local time), the Republican-controlled Missouri state legislature began a special session to redistrict. Governor Mike Parson submitted a plan to split Kansas City, a Democratic stronghold, into three congressional districts. Kansas City, along with St. Louis, is a representative city of Missouri. While the Republican Party is strong throughout Missouri, Kansas City is uniquely influenced by Representative Emanuel Cleaver, a Democrat. This plan intends to divide Cleaver's district to secure at least one more seat to the Republican Party's advantage.
Representative Cleaver criticized this in an interview with the political media Politico, calling it "as stinky a plan as you could have" and asserted that "this is not simply about changing districts, but an act of silencing voices." He pointed out that the division of the Kansas City public school district "calls to mind the construction of highways that intentionally splintered African American communities in the past."
The Democratic Party did not remain silent in the face of the Republican offensive. In Democratic strongholds like California, New York, and Maryland, they are considering the card of "retaliatory gerrymandering." California Governor Gavin Newsom approved a plan to put a redistricting proposal to a referendum that could oust 5 to 6 Republican House members.
On that day, Maryland Democratic state senator Clarence Lam introduced a bill aimed at eliminating the district of Andy Harris, the state's only Republican House member. In an interview with Politico, he noted, "I also don't like doing this sort of thing, but if the Republican Party is going to use extreme tools while sacrificing us, we will not let them trample over us."
"Gerrymandering" refers to the act of redistricting in an irregular manner to benefit a particular party or candidate. It is considered a typical act that destroys democracy as it distorts voter intentions and directly affects election results. In the United States, redistricting typically occurs every ten years based on the results of the census, but recently the Republican Party has been undermining this principle and attempting to manipulate district lines at will.
This redistricting war began in the Republican stronghold of Texas. According to the New York Times (NYT) and others, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas recently signed a redistricting bill that could grant five additional federal House seats to the Republican Party. This move follows President Trump's demand for "five more seats in Texas." The passage of the bill was not smooth. More than 50 Democratic state legislators staged an unprecedented mass walkout from the state Capitol to block the vote, while the Republican governor threatened to arrest them in order to push the bill through. Experts anticipate similar levels of confrontation in other states.
As the two parties that divide American politics escalate into extreme confrontations of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," American democracy faces a serious crisis. MSNBC cited experts stating that "the Republican Party is desperately pursuing gerrymandering not out of accountability but to maintain power and prevent accountability for the president." It further explained, "Such behaviors, which guarantee victory before voters cast their ballots, could allow the Republican Party to retain power for the next decade, regardless of what Americans truly want."