John,

Breaking news: Common Cause North Carolina is going to court to stop politicians from imposing gerrymandered maps on voters. [1]

In last fall’s election, voters in Watauga County approved fair, locally drawn districts. But state lawmakers ignored that vote and imposed their own gerrymandered maps. Now, we’re suing.

But here’s why this is worth paying attention to no matter where you live, John: If politicians can block voters’ will there, they can do it anywhere.

President Trump set off a nationwide redistricting firestorm when he ordered Texas Republicans to rig the map in his favor. They want to lock in permanent power and deny voters our voice in the 2026 midterms.

But Common Cause is leading the effort to fight back. From the statehouse to the schoolhouse, voters—not politicians—should decide who represents them. We will challenge every attempt to flip that principle on its head—because no community is too small to protect.

Here’s a bit of what that has looked like recently:

• In North Carolina, Common Cause is not only leading the Watauga lawsuit, but also stood as a plaintiff in NC NAACP v. Berger this summer 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 Missouri, we’re working with our partners to train volunteers and collect signatures for a citizens’ referendum to stop a newly passed gerrymandered map designed to silence Black voters and split up Kansas City for total GOP control. With enough signatures, the map is suspended — and voters decide its fate in 2026.

• 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 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 York 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.

This is what makes Common Cause unique: our members are fighting gerrymandering in every state, using consistent fairness standards, and always centering the communities most impacted.

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.

Because we know the stakes: who draws the maps often decides who controls Congress and state legislatures. That’s why this fight was never about one case or one map. It’s always been about protecting our democracy—where every voice counts and no politician can rig the rules to stay in power.

And thanks to the grassroots power of people like you, John, we’ve proven again and again that when politicians rig the rules, we can organize, fight back, and win.

Onward,

—The team at Common Cause