Nine Latino Democratic officials and political operatives pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in South Texas to charges of criminal voter fraud, accusations that their defenders called blatant voter suppression and political intimidation by the state’s Republican attorney general.
Gerry Goldstein, a lawyer for the most prominent defendant, told the presiding judge that he had filed a motion Wednesday morning to dismiss the charges and challenge the constitutionality of the state law used to prosecute his client, Juan Manuel Medina, a former chairman of the Democratic Party of Bexar County, the fourth largest in the state.
Gabriel Rosales, the director of the Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, called the charges “a complete attack on democracy.”
“This is voter suppression 101,” Mr. Rosales said.
The nine defendants, including Mr. Medina, were indicted last month by a South Texas district attorney working with the state’s famously conservative attorney general, Ken Paxton. Six of the defendants appeared in person in a courtroom in Pearsall, Texas, while three others, including Mr. Medina, appeared via Zoom. A state judge is expected to consider the motion to dismiss the case in early October.
It was the second time in less than four months that Mr. Paxton has charged prominent Latino Democratic officials with criminal “ballot harvesting,” the usually routine act of collecting absentee ballots and bringing them to drop boxes or polling sites to be counted. A half-dozen people, including a county judge, two City Council members and a former county election administrator, were charged with voter fraud in May.
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“The Downballot’s live guide to redistricting in every state”
At Donald Trump’s instigation, Republican lawmakers across the country are moving forward with plans to redraw their congressional maps outside of the normal once-a-decade redistricting process—purely for partisan political gain.
In response, Democrats nationwide are preparing to counter these gerrymanders with new maps of their own. And in some cases, the courts, rather than legislators, could soon step in to impose changes.
In this continually updated guide, The Downballot is keeping track of the latest redistricting developments in each state—28 in all. Next to each state’s name, you’ll find a breakdown of how many members of each party it elected to the House in 2024.
States not on this list include those whose congressional delegations are effectively maxed out for one side or the other (such as Massachusetts and Oklahoma); those where political considerations make any mid-decade remap very unlikely (such as Arizona and Michigan); or those that have just a single district (like Alaska and Delaware).
You can also check out our special report explaining how every blue state (and several purple ones) can respond to these new Republican efforts to further gerrymander the maps in red states….
“No Longer ‘Dead Brad Walking’: Georgia’s Election Chief Makes a Comeback”
From the WSJ, which is paywalled:
Five years ago, Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was banished to the political wilderness.
Donald Trump blamed the mild-mannered election chief for his narrow 2020 Georgia defeat, branding him a RINO (Republican in Name Only), “incompetent and strange.” Death threats poured in. GOP senators demanded he resign for reaffirming, after recounts and audits, that Trump lost the battleground state.
The attacks stunned Raffensperger, a businessman and devout Christian who came late to public life. One consultant dubbed him “Dead Brad Walking.”
Yet something unexpected happened on the way to his demise: He not only survived, winning re-election in 2022, but has become a serious contender in Georgia politics.
Now Raffensperger, 70 years old, a multimillionaire construction magnate, is considering a run for higher office next year, likely for governor to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, or U.S. Senate to challenge Democrat John Ossoff. A May Cygnal poll found Raffensperger slightly ahead of Ossoff in a theoretical matchup, with other declared or potential GOP candidates trailing Ossoff.
“How a U.S. Senate Race Is Shaping the Fight Over Redistricting in Texas”
NYT:
The standoff in Texas over redrawing the state’s U.S. House districts to a sharply tilted Republican advantage has played out before the backdrop of a contentious U.S. Senate race that may well be making the redistricting fight more contentious.
On the Republican side, the incumbent senator, John Cornyn, has set aside his often conciliatory demeanor, as he vies with his Senate primary opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, to see who can look tougher with runaway Democratic lawmakers.
On the Democratic side, State Representative James Talarico and former Representatives Beto O’Rourke and Colin Allred have used the standoff to gain publicity and rally the Democratic base around the notion that democracy itself is at stake. All three are potential rivals in the Senate race.
As the candidates position themselves, they’ve woven threats of prosecution and lawsuits with taunts and dares at the other party — and, in the case of Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Paxton, at each other — with few incentives for compromise….
“The midterm map fight favors the GOP — and could help them stay in power”
WaPo:
President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the congressional map has fueled a redistricting arms race, with blue and red states rushing to counter each other.
But it’s an uneven fight.
Republicans appear to hold the advantage in the nationwide scramble, according to strategists and nonpartisan analysts, with more opportunities to shift the lines in their favor ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats have vowed to “fight fire with fire” since the GOP moved to add five red seats in Texas, but they face many barriers.
Republicans are eyeing ways to add a dozen or more red House districts across Texas, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and Indiana, despite some legal hurdles and reservations from local Republicans. Democrats are looking to retaliate with five more blue seats in California, and they are exploring other options, including in Maryland and Illinois. They control fewer states than Republicans, however, and they have already maximized their power in others. In some cases, they would have to work around independent commissions set up to prevent gerrymandering.
“The Republicans are pretty likely to come out ahead — it’s just a question of how much they come out ahead,” said Kyle Kondik, an elections analyst for the nonpartisan site Sabato’s Crystal Ball.
Democrats say they are determined to blunt Trump’s push for more red seats, even if they cannot stop it. As Republicans defend a 219-212 House majority with four vacancies, even small shifts in the map could tip control of Congress in 2026…
“Why is American democracy in such peril?”
That’s the title of a talk I’ve delivered while at the University of Melbourne on a Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Fellowship. It’s my effort to explain succinctly how the United States got to the current dire situation and to point the way out of it.
“Texas Democrats to return home for second special session, ABC13 sources confirm”
ABC13:
ABC13 has confirmed with multiple sources that House Democrats will return to Texas.
Eyewitness News has not confirmed the date, but we do know that Democrats believe they’ve accomplished their mission by killing the first special session and… Continue reading
Good Government Group Common Cause Will Bless Time-Limited Mid-Decade Re-redistricting, with Conditions
Announcement via email:
Common Cause today reaffirmed its commitment to fair, people-powered democracy, making clear that independent redistricting commissions remain the gold standard for ending partisan gerrymandering.
However, as political leaders in states like Texas are imposing mid-decade partisan maps to distort the… Continue reading
“Texas Republicans dare Democrats to stay out of state another month”
WaPo:
Texas Republicans said Tuesday that they would kick off a second special legislative session Friday to redraw the state’s congressional maps in favor of the GOP, putting pressure on absent Democrats to quickly return to the state or commit… Continue reading
Supreme Court Fast-Tracks Potential Demolition of Section 2 of Voting Rights Act by Setting Argument October 15 in Louisiana Case, Possibly in Time to Affect 2026 Midterm Elections
We know the Supreme Court dallied a long time in setting the Louisiana case for reargument, only recently adding a doozy of a question in this racial gerrymandering case that could tee up a potential knocking down of the remaining… Continue reading
“Voter Intimidation: Forging a Judicial Standard”
Ben Goldstein has written this article for the Journal of Law and Politics. Here is the abstract:
In the last few years, federal courts have seen a notable increase in voter intimidation cases. Empirically, instances of voter intimidation, whether litigated… Continue reading
“The D.N.C.’s New Leader Seeks to Curb Dark Money Influence in 2028 Primaries”
NYT:
Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chairman, is taking a symbolic step toward curbing the influence of undisclosed and corporate funds in his party’s 2028 presidential primary, a move that is likely to instigate a broader conversation about the… Continue reading
“Why a gerrymandering critic wants to toss out California’s maps”
California Playbook:
Sara Sadhwani is proud of her work on California’s independent redistricting commission, but now she wants voters to tear up the maps she and her colleagues spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours crafting.
The Pomona political science professor… Continue reading
“Voting Rights and Private Rights of Action: An Empirical Study of Litigation Under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, 1982-2024”
Chris Seaman has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, FSU Law Review). Here is the abstract:
The Voting Rights Act is perhaps the most effective civil rights law ever enacted, bringing millions of Americans who have historically been discriminated against… Continue reading