Redrawing the midterms

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: The race to redistrict.

Republicans and Democrats are trying to reshape congressional districts before the midterms. In several states, lawmakers are pushing to overturn—or suspend—limits on mid-decade redistricting.

The strategy is becoming more common. And more contested.

Just yesterday, Democratic leaders in Virginia asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on a plan that could flip four Republican districts blue.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Well, now the clock is ticking. Primary elections are just weeks away, and the question is whether these new maps can survive legal challenges already coming against them.

WORLD Washington Producer Harrison Watters reports.

HARRISON WATTERS: In April, the Supreme Court ruled that a lower court went too far when it ordered Louisiana to draw two congressional districts with black voter majorities. The justices said the lower court relied on outdated evidence of racial discrimination.

Here’s Hans Von Spakovsky, a senior legal fellow for Advancing American Freedom explaining the court’s clarification:

SPAKOVSKY: Section two has specific language saying it does not entitle anyone to proportional representation. So that judge basically misapplied section two, and the Supreme Court said, "you can't do that."

The decision set off a flurry of activity. Multiple states with heavily minority districts have taken the opportunity to draw new maps…just weeks before scheduled primaries.

6ABC PHILADELPHIA: Developing right now, Louisiana has postponed its May primary.

WVTM 13 NEWS: Alabama lawmakers weighing bills that would allow for special primary elections…

ABC NEWS: Tennessee Republicans passing new congressional maps yesterday, likely to eliminate the state's only majority black district, which is the only...

In Tennessee, the changes affect a Democrat-leaning district in Memphis. The state House voted Thursday in spite of raucous protests.

CHAIR: Ayes 64, 25 Nays, three present not voting. House Bill HB7003 having received the constitution majority, I hereby declare it passed without objection.

Alabama governor Kay Ivey signed bills for a new election map and election schedule on Friday, but they only come into effect if a federal court order blocking the state from redistricting is lifted. The state’s attorney general asked the court to rule by this Thursday, five days before residents head to the polls.

Opponents of the new Republican maps say black Democrat voters will be disenfranchised. But Spakovsky says it’s not that simple.

SPAKOVSKY: So in many ways, Republicans are kind of adopting the tactics that Democrats have been using for years in blue states. And they're playing catch up.

In order to pass new congressional maps before the midterms, many state lawmakers are also rescheduling their House elections. In South Carolina, a plan to redraw the state’s seven districts to favor Republicans would schedule new elections for August 11th.

But that may pose another problem. 

The deadline to change the primary ballot has already passed, and absentee ballots are in the mail. Democratic representative Spencer Wetmore questioned Election Commission Executive Director Conway Belangia on Friday:

WETMORE: How many ballots have already been sent out for the June primary?

BELANGIA: That would be in in the hundreds at this point. I didn't pull any numbers this morning, and we've already received back probably 300 or so from overseas citizens.

The bill would require election officials to ignore votes cast in congressional elections while still counting votes for other races. They will also need to print new ballots for special elections later in the summer.

Belangia says it’s doable, but it will be complicated, and expensive.

BELANGIA: Roughly to $2.2-2.5 million to conduct that election in August.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union told lawmakers his group intends to push that number higher in legal fees…as activist groups plan on suing to overturn the map if it passes.

And while new districts across the South give Republicans an advantage on paper, the reality may not be as clear cut. Some are concerned that moving Democrat voting blocs into Republican districts will narrow margins of victory in the midterms. 

Here’s Spakovsky again:

SPAKOVSKY: Congressional elections, as you know, generally have much lower turnout than presidential elections. So the party that is able to turn out its voters the most is gonna win the election.

Lawmakers in South Carolina return today to continue debate on the new map…and the political cost to get one more Republican seat in Congress.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Harrison Watters.

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