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Civics & Democracy

See how new voting maps in Texas and California would shift the political landscape

People lean over tables, separated by privacy dividers reading "Vote" and bearing images of the American flag.
Political terrain may be shifting as Texas and California square off in a redistricting battle.
(
Jeff Kowalsky
/
AFP via Getty Images
)

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The major parties' redistricting battle escalated this week, with lawmakers in the country's two most populous states each taking a notable step toward a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

At President Donald Trump's urging, Republican legislators in Texas were set to give final approval on Friday to lines that they hope will move five U.S. House seats to the GOP.

California Democrats are acting in response, aiming to pick up five seats of their own. On Thursday they OK'd a ballot measure to ask their state's voters to allow new congressional districts.

So how exactly would the districts shift? The graphics below compare the 2024 presidential results under the current district lines to what the results would have been under the proposed new maps. Of course, a Democrat can win a U.S. House seat in a Trump-won district, and vice versa, but the graphics offer a glimpse of the shifting political terrain.

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