Southern states’ new maps upend elections for candidates, voters

Last-minute redistricting in a handful of Southern states is setting off a frenzy as election officials, candidates and voters scramble to figure out who’s on the ballot where. 

The Supreme Court paved the way for Louisiana and Alabama to use Republican-friendly House maps ahead of November after its landmark decision in April to weaken the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Republicans in Florida and Tennessee, buoyed by the decision, have sought to quickly redraw their state’s congressional maps in time for the midterms but are working through various litigation. 

The changes — coming just months out from November — have created a mad dash for candidates, some of whom have had to quickly introduce themselves to new voters, while election officials race to educate voters on the new lines. 

“As a person that’s new to politics, this is my first campaign I’ve ever, ever been in,” said Austin Sidwell, a Republican candidate running for Alabama’s Mobile-based 1st Congressional District. 

“Lucky me that it happened to be one of the most historic election cycles in American history,” he quipped. “I don’t think there’s been very many that have seen the district and the candidate list changed three times throughout the campaign — really in about a three-week period.” 

A handful of states have seen rapid changes to their congressional lines in recent months, turbocharged by the decision striking down Louisiana’s congressional map, which includes two predominantly Black House districts, and heavily restricting the ability for race to be considered in redistricting. 

The high court has allowed Louisiana and Alabama to proceed with House maps that are both likely to eliminate one of each state’s two Democratic House seats.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) had already urged state lawmakers to redraw congressional maps before the Supreme Court’s decision, noting that the high court was likely to weigh in on the VRA. He also argued that the current maps didn’t reflect Florida’s rapid growth since the last census, although lawmakers were only allowed to use the current 2020 population estimates in their new map this year. 

Republicans in the Sunshine State ultimately created a new map that the party hopes could give them as many as four seats in November. The new lines are currently in place, but........

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