John, what happened in Texas has kicked off a dangerous new trend nationwide.

Under pressure from Trump, the GOP governor forced through mid-decade congressional maps designed to add up to five extra GOP seats by cracking apart Black, Latino, and working-class communities.

This kind of power grab isn’t new—but it’s spreading. Republican leaders in Florida, Missouri, and beyond are now openly discussing redrawing maps before the next Census to entrench their power for years.

But here’s the good news: every time politicians try to rig the rules, Common Cause has been there to meet them head on. For decades, our members and organizers have been at the center of the fight for fair maps.

Together, we helped create independent redistricting commissions in states like California, Colorado, and Michigan—putting voters, not politicians, in charge of drawing districts. And now, we’re bringing that same determination to stop this unprecedented mid-decade scheme.

We’re realistic about the moment we’re in – which means we’re not automatically opposing new maps in states like California that are meant to counterbalance other states and comply with our new fairness criteria. That way, we can focus the full force of our grassroots power to stop extreme power grabs in places like Texas and Missouri. [1]

Here’s a bit of what this fight looks like across the country:

• In North Carolina, we went to court this summer as a plaintiff in NC NAACP v. Berger to stop rigged maps that split up communities to strip power from Black voters and silence their voices. We’re still waiting on the decision, which could have ripple effects in fights across the country.

• In Florida, we sued Governor DeSantis over a map that unfairly targeted Black voters—breaking up a district where they had elected a representative of their choice for years. Now, we’re mobilizing again amid the Governor’s call to redraw Florida’s map mid-decade and make it even more unfair.

• In Pennsylvania, we’re pushing for a Fair Districts Amendment that would put map-drawing in the hands of an independent commission—not politicians—so the public gets a real say. And we’re also building momentum for reform by advocating for independent commissions at the county level.

• In Minnesota, our team helped end prison gerrymandering—changing how people in prison are counted in redistricting. That means fairer representation for their home communities, and we’re working to bring this reform to other states, too.

• In Wisconsin, Common Cause helped win fair legislative maps for the first time in over a decade. It took years of legal fights, public testimony, and local organizing—but it’s one of the biggest anti-gerrymandering wins in the country.

• In Missouri, we’re organizing our members in the state to submit testimony and attend rallies against a new gerrymandered map designed to copycat Texas, silence Black voters, and split up Kansas City for total GOP control.

• In Indiana, Republican lawmakers met with Vice President J.D. Vance and the Trump administration about mid-cycle redistricting. The next day, Common Cause Indiana and our coalition partners delivered more than 4,000 petition signatures to state leadership opposing a special redistricting session—and we’re keeping up the pressure to make sure they hear the message loud and clear.

• And in states like New Mexico and Ohio, we’re working with local coalitions to build long-term reforms that move redistricting power out of partisan backrooms and into the hands of the people.

• Common Cause even sued Trump in 2020 for his unconstitutional attempt to rig the Census and deprive immigrant communities of equal representation in Congress.

John, this work is strategic, coordinated, and rooted in the communities most impacted.

While politicians in both parties draw maps to protect their power, Common Cause is the only group fighting nationwide to put people—not parties—in charge.

We’re in court. We’re organizing. And we’re backing it all with trusted research—like our 50-state Redistricting Report Card, which grades every state on fairness and public access.

This fight was never about one case or one map. It’s about protecting our democracy—where every voice counts and no politician can rig the rules to stay in power.

Thank you for being part of this work.

—The team at Common Cause

P.S. If you’d like to support our team in PA with the resources they need to take on racial and partisan gerrymandering schemes in court and in the legislature, you can make a donation to Common Cause Pennsylvania here >>